Work In Progress
by scarlet79
Summary: Sheppard and his team find themselves in a battle with the Wraith. Much drama and angst ensue, as they try to escape. So strap in, it's gonna be a wild Jumper-ride! May contain slight overtones of Sheyla/McKeller, but mostly just friendship. COMPLETE!
1. Pinned

_A/N: Okay, here's another SGA story I'm working on. The inspiration behind this was, of course, watching SGA eps, as well as listening to a BUTTload of Skillet on MediaPlayer. Right now, my fav song is "Whisper in the Dark". It's grungy and growl-y, and it just fits with the tone of the story. Or maybe I just think it does because I happened to make a John/Teyla vid to the same song. *Shrugs*  
_

_Anyway, a little info on the story...it's set anywhere you like, so far. There's no spoilers, except for the fact that they know Todd already. That's it, though. If that changes, I'll let you know. There's a bit of whump already so far, which I know I enjoy, as well as the comfort that comes later. _

_So, have fun, kids. Lemme know how it goes!_

* * *

Work In Progress

Chapter 1

* * *

Pinned down.

_Damn_, John Sheppard cursed silently. Chancing a quick look over the wall he and his team crouched behind, he counted eight Wraith soldiers advancing on his position. Stunner blasts exploded all around them, sending chunks of rock in every direction. The resulting dust clogged his nose and burned his eyes, but nothing he did could clear it away. He took a quick look down at himself, and noticed that his palms were scraped, no doubt from when he flung his body over the wall after the Wraith had opened fire on his team. A scowl covered his face when he also saw that the right leg of his pants had been ripped open, and blood oozed sluggishly from his knee. Doctor Keller wasn't likely to be amused with him when they got back to Atlantis.

_If _they ever got back.

"Rodney!" He shouted to his left, where he knew the physicist should be. It was the last place he'd seen him, before the smoke and flying debris had obscured his vision.

"I'm here!" Rodney called back, the terror in his voice clear. The Wraith still scared him, even after so many encounters with them. _Especially after so many encounters_, John corrected himself. He had to admit that he wasn't too fond of them, either, what with their feeding habits, as well as their overall general creep-factor.

"Can you get to the Jumper?" He asked.

Over the noise of the weapons-fire, John heard his friend make a disgusted sound in his throat. "Oh, I don't know. Let's see…we're being fired at by an entire hive of Wraith. So, I'd say – NO!"

John was about to tell McKay to calm down, when a high-pitched whine suddenly filled the air, followed by an even more sudden silence. The Wraith had stopped firing. Puzzled, he debated trying to steal another look, to find out what had happened. _It could be a trap_, the military part of his mind said. _Stop firing, wait until we're confused and take a look, and stun us all. _It wasn't exactly standard Wraith MO, but they could've picked up a new trick or two on their way through the Pegasus.

Too tired to think rationally, he ignored his misgivings, and leaned up to peer over the pile of rubble that had once been a stone wall.

"They are gone," Teyla suddenly said beside him, and he jumped a little in surprise. He hid it by giving her a nod.

"Sure looks that way. Question is, why?"

"Not to mention where," Ronon added, lowering his gun to his side. He didn't holster it, however. He wanted to be ready, just in case it was some kind of bizarre trap.

Rodney came over to join them, brushing dirt and small pebbles out of his hair. "Yes, well, maybe we can ponder their sudden disappearance from a safer place? The Jumper, for instance?"

"Good idea," John agreed quickly. He wanted to be far away from this place when – and if – the Wraith returned, and he wasn't extremely eager to find out why they'd disappeared in the first place. Curious, yes, but not so curious that he'd be willing to stick around and experience it himself. A sudden thought came to him then, and he glanced around at his team. "Everyone okay?"

Teyla nodded sedately, though a large bruise was slowly darkening on her cheek.

"Yep," Ronon assured, as his eyes roamed over the landscape around them. So far, there hadn't been any movement, but that didn't mean it was safe.

"I'm bleeding!" Rodney shouted then, and all eyes turned to him. He pulled his hand away from the back of his head and held it up to show them. His fingers were indeed coated in a thin layer of blood. "Oh, God, I'm bleeding from my head. My skull's probably fractured…"

"McKay!" John yelled at him, and he instantly shut his mouth with a snap. "Your skull's fine!" John turned to Teyla. "You have a bandage on you?"

She nodded and immediately began to dig in her front jacket pocket. A moment later, she pulled it out and tossed it to him, and he strolled over to where Rodney stood, still gingerly examining his wound with his fingers.

"Hold still," John ordered him, as if he were a fidgety eight-year-old. Rodney dropped his hand, and the colonel first inspected the wound – it wasn't very deep, and most likely wouldn't need stitches – and then securely wrapped his friend's head with the bandage. "Must've been when that rock bounced up on you."

"Rock?" Rodney asked nervously. "What rock? I don't remember a rock. What if I have amnesia?"

John and Teyla exchanged an exasperated look, and then he asked Rodney, "What's your name?"

"Rodney McKay."

John considered telling him he was wrong, as his first name was actually "Meredith", but he decided against it. Some things just needed to be left alone.

"What's the value of pi?" He asked next.

"Easy," Rodney snorted. "3.14159265."

John winked at Teyla and said, "Okay. Who won the first Superbowl?"

Rodney looked around as he thought about that. Then, he quietly replied, "I don't know. I mean, I really only follow hockey and – you know, Canadian sports – but what if I used to know, and I forgot?"

John laughed and patted him on the back. "You're fine, McKay. Let's get home, and get you cleaned up."

"Are you sure? Sometimes these things sneak up on you, you know."

John rolled his eyes. "Amnesia does _not_ sneak up on you. Now, come on, or I'll have Ronon drag your ass back to the Jumper."

The suggestion snapped Rodney back into reality, and he shook his head slowly, as if trying to keep his brain from sloshing out. "No, no. I'm good."

"Good." After Rodney had walked past him, John turned to Ronon and muttered, "Keep an eye on him, will ya?"

"On it," the Satedan rumbled, lengthening his stride to catch up with the scientist.

Teyla fell into step beside John, and gave him a mischievous grin. "So, who did win the first 'Superbowl'?"

John shrugged, and grinned back. "Don't know. I was just messin' with him."

Teyla didn't reply, only shaking her head at his sense of humor. After a few moments of walking in silence, she asked, "What do you think happened to the Wraith attacking us?"

He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. In truth, that question had been bugging him the entire time, though he'd been trying to push it to the back of his mind. Until now.

"I don't know," he answered finally. "Maybe someone decided to help us out."

"Perhaps," Teyla agreed. "But who? The planet has been deserted for some time."

Frustrated, he stopped and turned to face her. "Look, I admit that there are more questions than answers here. But right now, our priority is to get home and report on the mission. We can figure out everything else later."

Sensing his growing anxiety, Teyla wisely kept silent, and only nodded as they resumed their trek toward the Jumper. Soon, she and John stepped into the clearing where the Jumper sat. They just reached the ship when Rodney took out the remote and pressed a button, opening the rear hatch.

"Okay, kids, it's been fun, but let's pack up and go home," John said. He turned to make a comment to Ronon, and saw the Satedan being engulfed by a bright blue light. His senses now on full alert, John whipped around in time to see Teyla and Rodney enveloped in the same blue glow, and once it had dissipated, they sank unconscious to the ground beside him.

"Son of a…" He began, but he never got to utter the rest. The last thing he saw was a stunner blast hitting him in the chest, and then darkness swallowed him.

* * *

"John? John, please. Wake up."

John opened his eyes, and in the dim light of their prison saw Teyla staring back down at him. She seemed relieved, and if he didn't have a migraine pounding behind his eyeballs, he might've cracked a joke at her. As it was, he merely blinked and asked, "What happened?"

Teyla leaned back on her heels, her need to be near him diminished now that he was conscious. "We were stunned by the Wraith."

"Mm," he murmured, as if she'd just said they'd been at a barbecue, and not being held by their worst enemy. "How long've I been out?"

"Long enough," Ronon growled. "Would've thought you'd be used to getting stunned by now."

Suddenly, the day's events came rushing back into his memory, and he quickly sat up, causing his head to throb in protest. "Are we onboard a ship?"

"Worse," Rodney muttered from somewhere off to his right. "We're still on the planet."

John was confused. Rodney was right – the bars of their prison were made of metal, not the gooey, biological material the Wraith used, and the air smelled of dirt and trees. But why would the Wraith be keeping them here, instead of one of their cruisers?

"How is that worse?" He asked then. "Once we're late for check-in, Carter'll send another team. If we were on a ship, we'd be in another star-system by now, with pretty much no way to find us."

"Okay, maybe not worse. I should've said 'just as bad'." Rodney sighed. "From what I can tell, the Wraith have already sent their own reinforcements – at least one ship's worth. They're probably circling the planet right now."

"So there are two ships in orbit up there?"

"I thought I was the one with the concussion," Rodney snarled, and although both John and Teyla shot him a look, he went on. "Yes, John, two ships. One that must've been hiding while we were here tromping through the forest, and one they called after they shot us and threw us in here."

John dropped his head into his hands, the ache that persisted there threatening to burst a vessel. Alarmed, Teyla put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"My head is still pounding," he replied, his voice quiet as he tried to keep the noise level from aggravating the migraine. His stomach started to churn uncomfortably, and the room swayed as if he were on a sailboat. Even more softly, he added, "Cold air in here isn't helping much, either."

Teyla moved her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck. "Would you like my jacket?"

"No," he said, "but thanks for the offer." Slowly, he lifted his head and looked around at their prison. "We need to find a way outta here."

"Already tried," Ronon muttered, his jaw muscles working under his goatee. "No way out."

"Okay." John stopped to think, but his headache made it difficult. Finally, he sighed and asked, "Any idea what they want?"

Rodney snorted. "A four-course dinner? What else?"

John shook his head once. "No. If they were after a meal, we'd all be dead by now. They're gotta be after something else."

"Such as?"

"I don't know, Rodney. You're the genius, you figure it out!" He replied, instantly regretting raising his voice above a whisper. He closed his eyes, fighting the dizziness that washed over him. "I think I'm gonna lie down for a while. Let me know if anything interesting happens."

"Yes, yes," the scientist muttered as John lay down on the dirt floor, his arms wrapped around himself for warmth. "If we get fed on during your nap, we'll be sure to wake you up. Oh, wait. No, we won't, because we'll all be dead!"

"Rodney!" Teyla hissed, her eyes narrowed at him. "Be quiet!"

Finally realizing what he was doing, Rodney shook his head and said, "Sorry. John, I'm sorry."

John waved a hand at him from where he lay. "'S'okay. Goodnight."

For almost five minutes, no one spoke. When John began to snore lightly, Ronon looked over at Teyla and asked, "What d'you think?"

She shook her head, more in frustration than anything else. "I am not sure. I only know it can not be good."

"Maybe they wanna turn us all into runners."

"Perhaps. I suppose we will find out soon enough."

Ronon frowned and kicked at the bars of their cell. "I'd rather not find out at all."

Teyla's lip curled into a half-smile, half-sneer. "I agree. I am not looking forward to meeting with our captors, either."

"Hey," Rodney said quietly, his hands nervously clenching and un-clenching into fists. "Would either of you, um, happen to have any food on you?"

Both of them stared blankly at him, as if he'd just spoken another language.

"I mean, I only ask because I feel a little light-headed, and I'm worried that it's my blood sugar dropping."

Finally, Ronon reached into his pocket, and pulled out a semi-flattened Power Bar. He tossed it to Rodney, who caught it and stared down at it in dismay. "It's squished. You squished it."

Ronon walked over to him. "If you don't want it, I'll eat it." He tried to grab it back, but Rodney held it protectively behind himself.

"No, no. I'll take it. Thank you." Before Ronon could try and take it from him by force, Rodney stripped off the wrapper and shoved half of the bar in his mouth. As he chewed, groans of satisfaction reverberated in his throat, and Teyla couldn't help but smile at him. He finished the last of the bar, chewing a little more slowly this time. When it was in his stomach, he sagged against the wall of the cell, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Feel better?" Ronon asked him. Rodney nodded emphatically.

"Much."

Ronon's mustache twitched. "Good. Can we figure out a way outta here now?"

Rodney looked around at the prison for a while, examining every inch, then sighed. "Well, I've got nothing. Unless you happen to have a brick of C4 laying around somewhere?"

Ronon shook his head.

"I didn't think so. Okay, so…"

The sound of boot-steps hitting the ground interrupted him, and he involuntarily moved toward the middle of the cell. Teyla gently shook John awake, and he sat up just as three Wraith appeared in front of the door. The leader of the three glanced around at their captives, and then pointed to John.

"Take him," he growled to his guards, who began to unlock the cell door.

Rodney peered at his best friend, noting how the colonel was still wincing in pain, how sweat was beginning to stand out on his forehead. _He wouldn't last_, Rodney thought to himself. _They'll kill him in a matter of minutes. Seconds, even._ Hiding his shaking hands, Rodney took a step forward, his face less than six inches from the guard closest to John.

"No," he said in a voice merely above a whisper. He cursed his fear, and cleared his throat. "Take me instead."

He cut his eyes over to Teyla, who was staring widely at him, surprised. He managed a small grin at her, and then stared back at the guard. Well, rather stared at the mask covering its face. An unbidden curious thought suddenly popped into his head – _I wonder if they even have faces under there_ – but he pushed it away. There were more important things he should be thinking about now, like whether the Wraith would kill him for getting in their way. _Possible,_ he thought, _but I don't care. I won't let them take John. They'll __**have**__ to kill me before I let that happen._

The guards both looked to their leader, whose shake of his head was barely perceptible, and the guard Rodney blocked started to move forward again. Angry now, Rodney put his hands on the guard's chest, his face twisted in a sneer. Surprised that a pitiful human would think to touch a Wraith, the guard stopped, the only sound his breath hissing from behind the mask.

"Rodney," John said from behind him, "it's okay. I'll be alright."

Still, Rodney didn't move. Though he was terrified to die at the hands of these creatures, he refused to give up.

John stood up and put his hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Move back, Rodney."

Even as a disbelieving look came into his eyes, Rodney's hands dropped to his sides, and he took a step to the left. He watched helplessly as the other guard roughly pushed John forward, nearly knocking him through the open doorway. When he was safely out of the cell, the guard Rodney had challenged turned and locked the door once again, and they led John away.

Before they could lose eye contact, John turned to face Rodney. "Keep my spot warm. I'll be right back."

Horrified that his superior could joke at a time like this, Rodney could only blink rapidly and nod, before John disappeared from sight.

* * *

_TBC..._


	2. Tortured

_A/N: How'd you like the first chapter? Fun, eh? LOL Anyway, not much to report, so...on with the story!_

* * *

Work in Progress

Chapter 2

* * *

The two guards shoved John into a chair, and soon he was bound to it by thick, black straps around his chest, wrists and feet. Tired, his head now pounding a double-bass beat, he gazed up at the lead Wraith, somehow still managing a smug grin.

"I assume this won't be a pleasant chat," he said. The Wraith sneered at him.

"You assume correctly."

"Oh, good. And here I was worried that the cliché was completely wrong."

The Wraith noted his insolence, but ignored the comment. Instead, he paced menacingly in front of John's chair, his hands clasped behind his back. John took the opportunity to test his bonds, but they were knotted tight.

"I am interested to know what you have done with our troops. They are not being picked up by our sensors."

"What troops?" John asked, not understanding what he was talking about. Then, he remembered the Wraith soldiers who had disappeared during their battle. "Oh, those troops." He shrugged as well as his bindings would allow. "That wasn't us."

The Wraith stopped pacing and glared at him. "We know that you were the last to be in contact with them, Sheppard. I only wish to reclaim them, and then you may go free."

John snorted, but quickly covered it with a cough. "Listen…" he cocked his head in thought, "…think I'll call you Kevin. Can I call you Kevin?"

"Kevin" didn't reply, so John accepted that as a "yes", and went on.

"First, Kevin, I don't know where they went. One minute they were there, the next…And second, I've been around long enough to know that you aren't just going to release me or my team once you've got what you wanted. You can't think for a second I'm gonna buy into that."

Kevin searched John's face for a moment, his yellow eyes narrowed into slits. It seemed at first as if he were about to simply end the interrogation right then, by slapping his hand against John's chest and sucking the life out of him. Instead, he straightened up and grinned slightly, showing his pointed teeth.

"You are an interesting man, Sheppard. But I assure you, though many would pay highly to acquire you and your…team…I have no interest in you, other than to attain the information I seek."

John's gaze was skeptical. Though the room was dimly-lit, the light that did reach his eyes hurt his aching head as much as if he were staring at the sun. He suddenly found himself wishing that Todd was around. At least Todd had a sense of humor, twisted though it was. "I wish I could help you, Kevin. But I don't know where they are."

"And I doubt your sincerity, as well as your knowledge," Kevin replied. "But soon, you will tell me all I need to know." He turned his back on John, waving his hand in a silent command to his guards.

"I told you, I don't…" John began, but he stopped when the guards began to close in on him, their hands stretched out toward him.

From where they stood in the dirt-floor holding cell, Rodney and the rest of the team suddenly heard a scream that could've only come from John Sheppard.

* * *

John's unconscious body hit the dirt floor with a thump. Teyla was beside him immediately, gently turning him over and feeling his pulse with her slender fingertips. Ronon stood off to her left, glaring wickedly at the Wraith, who had since relocked the door and were now walking away, and Rodney knelt on John's other side, for once silent as he took in his friend's condition. There looked to be a feeding-mark on John's chest, but there were no other signs – no gray hair or wrinkled skin. _Didn't mean they hadn't fed_ _on him_, Rodney muttered mentally. He knew enough about Wraith torture to know that they could've sucked out his life and then given it back, over and over again.

Also, John's lip was cut, sending a thin trickle of blood down his chin, and there were bruises on his face and chest, as well as some kind of rope burn on his wrists. In short, John was pretty beaten up.

"John," Teyla whispered when his eyelids flickered slightly. When he didn't wake, she wiped her hand across his sweat-slicked forehead, then stripped off her jacket and tucked it around him. Seeing this, Rodney did the same, using his as a makeshift pillow for John's head.

"What did they do to him?" Rodney asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything else.

Teyla shook her head. "He is badly injured, Rodney. We must get him out of here before they return."

"I wish we could. We've thought of everything, and came up with nothing."

She seemed undeterred by his pessimism. "Perhaps if we figured out what they were after, we could use it to bargain with them."

"Great," Rodney snapped. "Shall I call them back in here, or will you?"

"Rodney," she warned, her voice suddenly tired.

"I'm just saying, something tells me they're not interested in bargaining. And if we don't do something soon, Sheppard is going to die here!"

As she stared at him, she suddenly understood the motivation behind his anger. He was afraid – afraid for John, and for himself. After checking John's pulse once more – and grimacing at his rapid heartbeat – she stood and placed both hands on Rodney's shoulders, her eyes gentle.

"Rodney," she said, causing his gaze to meet hers, "we will escape this place. You must have faith." He tried to sneer at that word – faith – but couldn't. Instead, he only nodded once as she continued. "I know our situation seems hopeless right now, but I have faith in _you_. Use the talents you were given, and think of a way out. Please, for John's sake."

The calm in her brown eyes relaxed him, and he took a deep breath. "Okay," he murmured. "Okay, give me a minute."

She nodded, and backed away, letting her hands slip slowly down his arms before they left him completely. Once more, Rodney moved toward the cell door, his mind turning with every second. He reached out and took hold of the metal bars, ran his hands down their length until he was crouched near the floor. Then, he stood, shuffled over about a foot to his right, and repeated his motions. By the third time, he had reached the door's hinges, and closely inspected each one.

"Hmm," he said quietly, but Ronon heard him, and stood beside him.

"What?" The Satedan asked, his eyebrows knitted closely together.

"It's rusted right at the hinges. A few well-placed hits, and this door should fall right off."

"Gonna make a lot of noise, though," Ronon replied, his head jerking in the direction the Wraith usually came from.

"Well, I'm giving us options, here. I haven't heard a better one from you yet."

The large man shrugged. "Don't have one."

Teyla stepped forward then. "We could use our clothing to hold the door on the opposite side, so that it will open, but not fall to the floor."

Rodney snapped his fingers. "That might work. We could borrow the jackets from Sheppard to tie around the door, knotting it to the frame on the left."

Satisfied with their plan, they set to work carefully removing their jackets from John's sleeping form. They worked in silence to tie them where Rodney indicated, knotting them as tightly as they could, as their hands were all becoming very cold and difficult to move.

"Who's gonna kick it?" Ronon asked, as they stared at their handiwork. He looked pointedly at the scientist beside him, who rubbed anxiously at his forehead.

"I, uh," Rodney stuttered, "I was hoping you'd volunteer, as you're the strongest. But if you…"

Before Rodney could finish, Ronon pushed him aside and gave the door a swift kick. It shuddered with the force, but that was all. Ronon aimed a bit lower, and tried again. Once more, it clattered against the jamb, but didn't move.

"What's going on?" John muttered, keeping his eyes shut. He was worried that if he opened them, they'd explode. Teyla knelt beside him, her hand on his chest on the side opposite his wound.

"We are attempting to escape, John. Can you stand?"

Slowly, he cracked open his eyelids, and cautiously gazed up at her. As Ronon kept working on the door, John moved his limbs one at a time, making sure each one worked, and then nodded.

"Yeah, but you might have to help. I feel like I've been hit by a cruise ship."

She managed a small smile, then stood and reached down for his hand. He gave it to her, and she began to carefully pull him up, first to a sitting position, and then onto his feet. He swayed a little as he stood, but then quickly steadied himself using Teyla's shoulder for support.

"Thanks," he breathed.

"We were very concerned for you," she told him. "You have been unconscious for a long while."

"I kinda wish I was still out. My gut feels like it did on the first day of school."

Though she only half-understood him, she nodded. "We should be free very soon."

Ronon gave another hard kick at the door, then cursed quietly. His ankle hurt after that last try, and he knew that it would probably swell up in a while. Not one to give up, however, he braced himself for another shot.

"Wait!" Rodney suddenly hissed, and Ronon dropped his leg. "They're coming."

Everyone was silent as they listened, and each person's heart dropped into their stomach as they heard the familiar sound of boots approaching them. Without even discussing it, Teyla and Rodney worked to remove their coats from the door, tossing them into a dark corner. No good could come to them if the Wraith saw that they'd been trying to escape.

When the Wraith entered the room, everyone in the team stood protectively in front of John. John felt both grateful and embarrassed at that; he should be the one covering his team, not the other way around. Still, he wasn't sure he was up for round two against the Wraith, so he let them guard him.

"Kevin" looked around at the team, noticing with amusement the way they guarded their leader. Such dedication, he thought; even in the face of death they show no fear, only determination. He had been bent on taking Sheppard for another interrogation, but now, he decided a change of tactic was needed.

"That one," he said, pointing to Rodney.

John started to push forward, but the others held him back. Rodney gulped nervously when the guards took hold of his arms, but as his anxiety gave way to anger, he yanked himself out of their grasp and scowled at them.

"I can walk just fine," he snarled, and Kevin nodded for them to allow him to continue alone. "Take care of Sheppard," he called to Teyla and Ronon, staring meaningfully at them, and they nodded in return.

* * *

Rodney had been strapped into the chair John had occupied earlier for a while now, and he was only getting angrier. As one of the guards moved away from him, he turned his head and spat on the ground, scowling as he saw it was mostly blood, with a small bit of saliva mixed in. His jaw hurt, but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of seeing he was in pain. He might just be a scientist, but he'd been kidnapped and tortured and chased enough these past years that he could be almost as stoic as Sheppard.

_Sheppard_. He suddenly remembered the way his friend had looked back in the cell, his body bruised, his headache refusing to let his eyes focus normally, and his anger burned hot in his chest again.

Kevin stepped forward then, looking just as angry as Rodney felt.

"Where are my soldiers, Doctor McKay?" He shouted.

"I don't know!" Rodney roared back. "We had nothing to do with it!"

"Tell me!"

Rodney stopped struggling against the straps holding him, and glared up at the Wraith leader.

"Go straight to Hell!"

Kevin stepped back, and gestured to the guard on Rodney's left. Before he could blink, the guard hit him across the face with something hard and possibly metallic. Rodney's cheek split open under the force, spilling warm blood down his face and neck. His jaw now felt positively broken, but he merely gasped in one lungful of air after another, praying to anything that would listen not to let the tears in his eyes fall. He couldn't cry now, no matter how much it hurt. He had to be strong, for the team – for his friends. He had to make John proud of him, make them all proud of him. Oh, God, why couldn't he just die right now?

"Take him back. He has proved much stronger than I thought."

The guards started to unbuckle the straps, starting with his legs and working up.

"We will see what the woman has to say next."

Rodney's head snapped up so hard that his teeth rattled together.

"No!" He shouted. "Leave Teyla out of this!"

Kevin stopped the guards and gazed down at him, his eyes curious. "And why would I do that?"

"I…" Rodney gazed around the room, thinking fast. As soon as the first idea came to him, he replied, "I could help you find them. Your soldiers, I mean."

The leader seemed to think about this. Then, he spoke to the guards. "Unbind him, and let him…clean up." To Rodney, he said, "If you fail at this task, every one of your friends will die. Horribly."

Rodney nodded. "I figured as much," he muttered as he stood up. It took a moment for his legs to understand what his brain wanted them to do, but as soon as he felt steady, he followed the two guards out of the room. Hopefully, he'd just bought the others enough time to escape, and go for help. Of course, there was no guarantee that he'd get out of this alive, but that didn't matter to him anymore. And though he knew that it wasn't a pretty way to go, he would gladly die at the Wraith's hands as long as he saved the team.

* * *

"Okay," John said after Ronon and Teyla had tied the jackets to the door once again. "Let's try this again."

"We cannot just leave Rodney here, John," Teyla argued. Though her voice was calm, quiet, her eyes were furious. She flicked her gaze at his chest, reminding him of what he'd gone through, of what Rodney was most likely experiencing at that very moment.

"He told us to, Teyla. And for once, I'm not gonna argue with him. We'll get to the Jumper, and get the hell back to Atlantis. The Daedalus is still docked at the city, and she can easily take out the two ships circling the planet."

"But once the Wraith know we are attacking them, they will kill him!"

"We don't know if he's even alive _now_, Teyla!"

"But…"

Ignoring the pain that ran the entire length of his body, he grabbed her shoulders. "Enough!" He shouted at her, and her eyes filled with frustrated tears. "If Rodney is still alive, then we have to get help. We're no match against the Wraith without our weapons, and we don't have time to go looking for them."

Silently, she nodded, though she wanted to scream and never stop. She suddenly felt numb all over, as if she were falling into an endless black hole. She could only stare blankly as John turned to Ronon and said, "Do it."

"Okay," the large man replied.

Ronon eyed the door carefully, looking for the weakest spot, and then kicked at the hinges as hard as he could. At first, it didn't look like it worked at all, but his sharp eye determined that the gap between the door and the rest of the cell had widened slightly. Encouraged by that sight, he gathered all of his strength, reared back, and kicked again. The door broke free at once and swung out, but the jackets did their job at holding it up. With a proud grin on his face, Ronon gestured for them to follow, and then rushed through the open space.

Teyla hurried after him, and John followed her, his breath hitching in his chest with every step. Pushing the pain away, he kept watch behind them as they wended their way through the tunnels, looking for the way out. Luckily, they encountered no resistance, and soon broke out into the daylight. Though he originally thought that was somewhat convenient, John pushed his concerns aside and stopped to take in their surroundings. He shaded his eyes with his hand, wishing he had his aviators' glasses on him, and saw that they were in a small meadow, surrounded on all sides by nothing but trees. They had been imprisoned in some kind of underground cave system, one that had probably had been a mine at one point, but that had been reclaimed by the ecosystem over a period of decades. Maybe, John thought, even centuries.

"I believe the Jumper is that way," Teyla said to the men, pointing ahead and slightly to the left.

"That way it is," John agreed, and Ronon continued to take the lead in the direction she'd indicated.

They made it into the forest with no trouble, though John had needed a rest about halfway through. Teyla agreed to sit with him on a large fallen tree, as Ronon kept watch for any approaching Wraith. Her hands braced on the rough bark, she straddled the trunk, letting her legs dangle over each side. He sat sideways, his legs hanging only over one side, periodically wiping sweat off his face and neck.

"Maybe you guys should've left me, too," he said quietly. Ronon and Teyla exchanged a worried look.

"Never woulda happened," Ronon muttered in reply.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Teyla asked at the same time, and John shrugged.

"I feel sick as a dog. I'm slowing you down." He looked up at the sky, noting that the clouds were tinged with a light pink color. "Sun'll be down before we make it to the Jumper, and they'll have discovered us missing long before that."

Teyla shook her head. "We will make it, John. Together."

"He's right about one thing," Ronon said then. "They've noticed."

Teyla swung down off the tree, her eyes spotting movement from behind them. "We must go."

Heaving a sigh, John slipped down as well, nearly tripping over an exposed root. He tried to take up the rear once more, but Teyla wouldn't have it. She lightly nudged him into the second position, and he locked his eyes on Ronon's back, concentrating on keeping his breathing even. His stomach still lurched around, feeling like a thousand butterflies ramming against his gut, but he couldn't get sick now. They had to get to the Jumper. _That was it_, he told himself; g_et to the Jumper, and get into space. Then, you can puke your guts out as long as you want._

Finally, they broke through the trees, and the Jumper stood right where they'd left it, in the middle of the field. They could hear crashing noises behind them, quickly advancing on their position, and John ran as fast as he could for the Jumper. Surprisingly, the back hatch was still open, looking incredibly inviting to him, and he ran inside without stopping, though his vision began to swim dangerously.

Ronon and Teyla soon followed, and he slammed his fist against the control panel just as the Wraith began to shoot at them. A stray blast made it through the closing gap, hitting Teyla in the shoulder. She sank to her knees, but didn't lose consciousness. John rushed forward and slipped into the driver's seat, and the Jumper's lights immediately blinked on. He powered up both the engine and the cloak, and as Ronon and Teyla secured themselves beside him, he expertly lifted the ship into the air. More lucky shots from the Wraith hit the Jumper, but they didn't do much damage, and in moments, John had piloted them through the atmosphere and into the black expanse of space surrounding the planet.

"There are the Wraith ships," Teyla said, pointing past the front screen. Just as Rodney said, two Hive ships glided through the stars, their hulking masses seeming to almost touch each other. Just beyond them was the Stargate, suspended in space by the planet's magnetic field.

"Yeah," John agreed. He started to dial the symbols for Atlantis, and watched as the Stargate's lights began to blink on, one by one. The Wraith ships noticed what was happening, but as the Jumper was cloaked, they had no idea where or what to shoot at. Instead, they fired in the direction of the Stargate, figuring they would hit anything either coming out or going in.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard," he called over the Jumper's radio. After a short pause, the radio crackled, and a welcome voice responded to his call.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Colonel Carter. You were due to check in almost 24 hours ago."

"I know," he said, "but things got a little hairy down there. Not much time to explain, but we might be coming in hot."

"Understood," Carter replied crisply. "We'll be ready for you."

John switched off the radio, then swung the Jumper easily between the vessels. Right before they reached the event horizon, he pushed the Jumper to top speed. They took a single hit on the rear bulkhead just as they slid completely through, and for a sickening moment, John thought that they wouldn't make it. Then, he saw Atlantis' control room before him, and he slammed on the brakes. Ronon caught himself from smashing forward by throwing his hands down on the control panel, and Teyla did the same by grabbing onto Ronon's chair.

"Shield up!" Carter shouted as soon as she saw they were safe. The shield shimmered into existence, brightening as Wraith blasts tried to penetrate the Gate.

"Gonna go park this baby," John told her over the radio, and she nodded.

"Any injuries?" She asked him.

"None life-threatening," he bit off. His mission was over, and he'd be damned if he let her confine him to a hospital bed. Rodney was still down there, somewhere. Alive, he hoped, though it was almost too much to hope for after all this. The Wraith wouldn't take kindly to having three prisoners escape, and get past two Hive ships.

He was all right. He was The Rodney McKay, genius extraordinaire.

He was all right. He had to be.

If he wasn't, Teyla would never forgive him.

And John would never forgive himself.

* * *

_TBC..._


	3. Rescued

_A/N: Okay, so I know I originally wasn't gonna make this any specific timeline in SGA, but I couldn't help it. So, here it is, what...season 4...since Carter is there. I mean, I liked Weir, but Carter seems to understand Sheppard in a way that Weir didn't, maybe because they're both in the military. _

_Anyway, have fun and enjoy the story...chapters 4 - 6 should be up within the afternoon! Reviews - they make me happy!  


* * *

_

Chapter 3

Carter was inside the Jumper Bay as soon as the doors opened. She hadn't made it two steps further, however, before John spoke.

"We have to go get Rodney. He's still on the planet."

Carter stopped and took in John's appearance. There was dried blood on his forehead and chin, the left side of his face was almost entirely purple with bruises, and the chest of his t-shirt was torn, exposing a raw wound underneath. His knee was also torn open and caked with dirt, though at least it had stopped bleeding some time ago. John was squinting in the bright light of the bay, and sweat beaded on his forehead and upper lip. With the way he looked, she wondered how he was even standing. In contrast, Ronon and Teyla seemed almost untouched. They sported a few bruises of their own, but neither of them appeared nearly as injured as John did.

"John, I don't think…" she began, but he waved emphatically at her.

"We've wasted enough time already," he interrupted, his voice raspier than he liked. "Where's Caldwell?"

"In the control room." As he started for the door, she asked, "John, what's going on? What happened down there?"

He opened the Jumper Bay door and walked out, with Carter close behind. Ronon and Teyla followed after them, their expressions sober and a little tired.

"We got ambushed by the Wraith," John explained as they walked. "They started shooting, we shot back, then they just disappeared."

"Disappeared?" She wondered aloud, but he rushed on, ignoring her question.

"We'd almost made it to the Jumper when more Wraith popped up and stunned us. They dumped us in a cell, then interrogated me, asking what we'd done with the ones who disappeared, which, of course, I had no idea about." He paused just long enough to catch his breath. As they started down the stairs, he continued. "They took Rodney next, before we could escape. He made it clear that we were to continue with the escape plan, so while he was gone, we busted the door and took off. Got back to the Jumper, got to the Gate, and made it back here."

"And the blasts you warned us about?" She asked. "Were they from a Hive ship?"

John nodded. "Two, actually."

They entered the control room then, and Carter spotted Colonel Caldwell standing on the balcony overlooking the Gate.

"Colonel," she called to him, "a word in my office, please?"

Caldwell nodded, and left his spot to join them in the office. When she had closed the door, she gestured for them to sit, but no one did. Sighing, she leaned against her desk, her hands folded in front of her.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" She asked John.

"We take the Daedalus – with Caldwell in the captain's chair, of course –" Caldwell nodded his assent " – back to the planet. Take out the two Hive ships, then lock onto Rodney's signal and beam him aboard."

"At first, that sounds like a good plan," Carter said. "But if the Wraith discovered you missing…"

"Which they did," Teyla interjected, catching John's eye and glaring at him. She was still angry for leaving Rodney behind, and she would remind John of it every chance she got, if and when they got him back alive.

"…then what's to say they didn't kill him in revenge for it?"

John shrugged. "Not much. But," he added, "there's nothing to say they did."

"Except experience," Caldwell replied, his mouth drawn in a thin line. He wasn't sure he liked this plan at all. When a plan sounded this good, something always went wrong. Especially when John Sheppard was involved.

"I have to say, we don't have much to go on," Carter said then. "And I'm not sure I'm comfortable with your condition either, John."

He waved off her concern. "I'll be fine. But if we don't go back and try to get Rodney…" he started to say something, then changed his mind. Giving her his best puppy-dog look, he said, "Please, Sam."

Carter leaned back, staring up at the ceiling above her. Logically, she should order Sheppard into the infirmary, then send Caldwell, along with Teyla, Ronon, and Lorne's team, back for McKay. But she knew John all too well to think he'd go along with that for a moment. He'd either disobey her orders altogether, or give her the cold shoulder for a month. And that was _if_ they managed to rescue McKay. She didn't even want to think of what he'd do if the mission failed.

Finally, she leveled her gaze with his, sighing loudly. "All right, you have a 'go'. But you're taking Lorne's team with you as backup, just in case you can't beam Rodney out."

He started to protest, but she held up her hand, and his mouth snapped shut again.

"And the moment anything goes sideways, Caldwell has my order to turn around and fly back to Atlantis. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," John said with a nod. Beside him, Ronon and Teyla both nodded as well.

"Okay. You're dismissed."

Everyone but Carter left the office, and John borrowed Caldwell's earpiece to radio his second-in-command.

Major Lorne answered him almost immediately. "Lorne, here."

"Get your team geared up and over to the Daedalus. Got a mission for ya."

"I read you, Colonel. We'll be ready in ten."

"Good. Sheppard out."

John handed the earpiece back to Caldwell, and followed the colonel down the halls of Atlantis toward the Daedalus. The mission he'd started back on the planet was half-over now. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he prayed that the second half would go better than the first.

* * *

Rodney's heart had sunk when he heard the sirens go off. He'd been scanning the entire planet, looking for the missing Wraith soldier's energy signatures, when a loud keening sound had suddenly filled his ears, causing him to protectively clap his hands over his head. When his fingers brushed the gash on his cheek, they pulled on the raw skin, causing the wound to burn painfully.

The lead Wraith, the one John had called "Kevin", shouted for his guards to see what was wrong, and then leered at Rodney, his ugly mouth gaping open.

"The prisoners have escaped," one of the other Wraith, the ones without masks, informed their leader. Rodney tried to swallow, but he found that his mouth had gone cotton dry.

Kevin spun around on the scientist, his feeding hand poised to strike. "I warned you…"

Just then, the console in front of him beeped, and Rodney gasped in relief. "Wait," he said, pressing a few buttons on the keypad. "I think I've found them! Your soldiers, I mean. Not the...prisoners."

The Wraith lowered his hand and gazed at the display placed at eye-level. "Show me."

Rodney leaned forward and tapped the far right corner of the screen. "Right there. Eight signatures. There were eight of them, right?"

Kevin nodded. "Yes. How far are they from this facility?"

"Uh, give me a second," he replied, quickly doing calculations in his head. "Fifty kilometers, give or take. Should take slightly over half an hour to reach them by Dart."

Kevin signaled for a team of soldiers to go to the place Rodney had indicated on the map. When they left the room, he turned to face Rodney again. What passed for a smile appeared on his pale face. "It seems you have proven yourself quite useful, Doctor McKay."

"Yes, well, pain of death and all that tends to motivate a fellow," he replied, absently massaging his bruised chest and glad that it was the only injury there.

"I sincerely hope you are not expecting to be rescued," Kevin continued, as if he hadn't heard Rodney at all. "I fear that your friends will not make it very far."

Though he was desperate for John and the others to come for him, Rodney kept his expression neutral. "I'm sure."

Rodney wasn't quite sure how he managed to keep Kevin from killing him the next two times he threatened it, but here he was, still alive. The first time was when the guards reported that John had gotten the Jumper off the planet, presumably on their way back to Atlantis. The two Hives had received the warning too late to prevent their leaving through the Stargate, and Kevin had roared angrily, his loud scream almost popping Rodney's eardrums.

The next time had been mere minutes ago, when Kevin got word that one of the Hive ships had been destroyed, and that the ship behind the destruction had been a human vessel. Rodney was unable to hide his excitement at that, knowing that it was most likely the Daedalus, and Kevin had grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him so close that Rodney could see every blue vein in his face.

"Your friends are foolish for coming back," the Wraith growled at him. "They have sealed your death warrant."

"Maybe it's someone else," Rodney stalled, a cold sweat suddenly chilling his entire body. "Like, um, the Travelers?"

Kevin glared into his blue eyes for a moment. Then, with a grunt of disgust, he picked Rodney up off his feet and tossed him across the room. Rodney landed a dozen feet away, his hands scraping painfully against the dirt on the floor.

"You will all pay for this impudence!" Kevin bellowed, moving once more toward him.

Rodney shut his eyes, covering his head with his arms. _Here it comes_, his mind warned him. _That awful hand is gonna land right on my chest, and I'm gonna die, slowly and painfully_.

But it never came. He was aware of the sound of gunfire around him, and a last, pain-filled roar from Kevin. Then, a familiar voice said, "Good to see you, Rodney."

Rodney slowly peeked around his elbow, and was surprised to see both Major Lorne and John looking down at him. Ashamed to look so undignified, he unfolded himself and stood up, still shaken from his latest brush with death.

"Uh," he began lamely, "good to see you, too."

He hadn't noticed Teyla standing nearby, until she got John's attention and said, "There are more soldiers coming."

John nodded. "Let's get up to the surface."

Lorne turned and left the room, radioing for his team to fall back to the tree line.

"How?" Rodney asked John as they followed after the Major. Teyla rushed past them, turning just quickly enough to give Rodney a smile.

"The Daedalus beamed us down," John explained. "You were too far underground to use the Asgard beam. Caldwell's waiting for our signal to beam us back up."

When they were almost to the cave's entrance, a Wraith soldier appeared on their left, firing his stunner at them. Lorne saw him first, and nearly emptied the clip of his P90 into him. The soldier fell to the ground, black blood oozing from his chest, but two more suddenly materialized behind him.

"Get out of here!" John shouted, and they slowly backed out of the cave, Lorne and John blasting every Wraith that dared to venture too close. When they were all clear of the mouth of the massive cave, John flipped a hand signal at Lorne, and the major nodded in return. He pulled a black box out of his tac vest, and flipped a switch on its top. A loud boom sounded from within the depths of the mine, followed by more rumbling, and at last, an explosion that threatened to tear their feet out from under them. The blast of flames that erupted from the cave's entrance was so hot, they could all feel the heat where they stood, twenty yards away.

"C4?" Rodney asked, and John nodded grimly.

When they were sure that all the Wraith were dead, or at least trapped in the caves, John turned to the others, his face haggard. "Let's get home."

Lorne tapped his com. "Colonel Caldwell, we've got McKay."

"We read you, Major," Caldwell replied. "Prepare to beam up."

Everyone stood still where they were, and soon the Asgard beam glowed around them. Within moments, it died away, and they found themselves on the bridge of the Daedalus.

Rodney heaved a sigh of relief. It was good to be off that planet, surrounded by people you knew, people who didn't stare at you like a dog stares at a t-bone steak.

"Take us back to Atlantis," Caldwell ordered the woman seated toward his right side. She nodded sedately and pressed a few keys in front of her.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Course set for Atlantis."

When they were safely on their way, John cocked an eyebrow at Rodney. "You should probably get that looked at."

"Hmm?" Rodney asked, oblivious as to what he was talking about.

"Your…right there," John replied, pointing to his injured face.

"Oh, I suppose you're right."

"You look like something from Resident Evil."

Normally, Rodney would've come back with a retort about John's torn chest looking like an Alien had escaped from him, but he was too exhausted, and too glad to see his best friend. Instead, he managed a grin, and sat down in an empty seat.

_We're all right_, he told himself. They were all safe, and they were going back to Atlantis.

They were going home.

* * *

Rodney and John reclined in their respective beds in the infirmary, a glum look on each of their exhausted faces. Keller wandered from one side of the room to the other, checking on her various patients, her strawberry-blond hair slowly coming loose from her ponytail. When she reached Rodney's bed, she gave him a small grin, which he only barely returned.

"How do you feel, Rodney?" She asked him.

"Like a caged animal," he replied, and next to him, John nodded emphatically. Though Rodney had his own brand of romantic feelings for Keller, he still hated being in the infirmary, hated being tied down by IV's and heart monitors. And John, well, everyone knew about his intense dislike for the place, though he still never missed the opportunity to complain about it anyway.

"I know," Keller said, giving them both an understanding nod. "But it's only for a day or so. Once we make sure your levels are all sufficient, you can both go to your rooms and rest."

"But I feel fine," John argued, even as he knew she didn't believe him. The wound on his chest had only just begun to heal, the skin around it slowly knitting itself back together, and from the way he was squinting, she knew that his migraine hadn't yet disappeared.

Keller shook her head. "That may be, but as I'm the doctor here, I'm ordering you to stay in that bed. You need to rest."

Ronon walked into the room then, followed closely by Teyla. Ronon hooked a chair with his foot as he passed it, and dragged it near John's bed, where he promptly flopped down in it. Teyla chose to go a more dignified route, opting instead to sit primly on the edge of John's bed. He caught her eye and tried a smile, but her eyes were cold, her emotions behind a wall in her mind. He sighed inwardly at that, knowing that she must still be upset at him for "abandoning" Rodney.

"Hey, Sheppard," Ronon rumbled, and John gave him a quick wave.

"How's it goin', Chewy?"

Ronon only shrugged, then asked, "You eat yet?"

John shook his head. "Stomach's still not ready for that." As if to prove his point, the sick feeling in his gut upped itself a notch. It was manageable now, however, as Keller had given him some anti-nausea medicine earlier.

A smile twitched his Satedan friend's lips. "Yeah. If the colorful display you put on for us in the Jumper was any indication…"

John grinned, his face reddening with embarrassment. "Hey, it's not my fault! I held it down as long as I could!"

Ronon nodded in mock-sympathy. He knew he should stop, but he was having too much fun with it. "How many different kinds of Jell-O did you have to eat to get it to look like that?"

"What in God's name are you all on about?" Rodney asked from his bed, and everyone craned their necks to look at him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and a pout had taken up residence on his lips. He looked for all the world like a little kid right then, and everyone had to grin at the image before them.

"Sheppard threw up in the Jumper on the way back to Atlantis," Ronon explained. "It was…nasty."

"Yes," Teyla added with a chuckle. "And he also made quite a lot of noise doing it."

"I told you," John tried again, only slightly hurt by their ribbing, "I couldn't help it." Then, he glared at Rodney. "Why don't they have bathrooms on the Jumpers?"

Rodney huffed. "Because they're only meant for short trips back and forth from the city, not a two-day excursion on some awful planet swarming with Wraith."

It was John's turn to pout. "Well, they should at least have some airsickness bags or something."

"Yes, well, feel free to stock them next time you're up there, hmm?"

Keller shook her head at their bickering, and took a small step forward. "As fun as it is listening to you two, I've got some more work to do." She turned to face Ronon and Teyla, and said, "Not too much longer, okay? They both need a lot of rest after your…ordeal."

"We will only be a few minutes," Teyla assured her, and with a nod of thanks, Keller walked off, pausing to grab her coffee mug from a nearby counter before stepping into her office.

"So," John said, trying anything to break the awkward pause around him. He looked to Ronon for help, but the man was back to his stoic self. He merely shrugged at John, just as much at a loss for words as he.

"How did you manage to survive the Wraith, Rodney?" Teyla asked the scientist then.

Rodney stopped fiddling with the blanket covering his lower half, and looked up. "Hmm? Oh, well, it wasn't easy, let me tell you."

John readjusted himself against his pillows, knowing that they were in for a long story, one that anyone but McKay could've summed up in a few sentences. He wouldn't have it any other way, though. It was Rodney's quirks that made him especially endearing to John. Sure, he got irritating sometimes – who didn't? – but it wouldn't feel right if anything about Rodney ever changed. He was his friend, his best friend, and would be as long as they both lived.

"They did a number on me, that's for sure. There was a plethora of pain unleashed on the venerable Doctor Rodney McKay, pain that would send any other man into hysterics. But not me, no, not me…"

* * *

_TBC..._


	4. Healed

Chapter 4

John lay on his bed, staring upside-down at his Johnny Cash poster. Beside his bed was a small table, and a CD player sat upon it, quietly piping music into the air around him. The shades were drawn over his windows, but a small crack of light made it underneath them, sending a thin sunbeam across his legs. It reminded him of the bindings the Wraith had tied him into the chair with, and despite the warmth of his room, he suddenly shivered.

The chime sounded at his door then, and as he was still too tired – or too lazy – to get up, he called, "Come in."

The door slid open, revealing Teyla in the hallway outside his room. She peered around nervously, as if she were afraid he was might be in an embarrassing state of undress, but she smiled softly when she spotted him laying in his bed, covered up to his waist by a blanket. As he was not wearing his standard black t-shirt, she saw that his chest wound was nearly completely healed, and the bruises he sported on his neck and torso were beginning to fade, their edges the odd shade of yellow they usually turned before disappearing altogether.

"Have a seat," he said, patting an empty spot on his mattress. She cautiously obeyed him, sinking gracefully onto the bed beside him. At first, she tried to act nonchalant, her eyes roaming around his room as if seeing it for the first time, but in reality, her insides were in utter turmoil.

Sensing her unease, John pushed himself up until he was sitting cross-legged, and leaned forward slightly. "Everything okay?" He asked.

She took a deep breath, and then stared into his hazel eyes. "I wanted to apologize to you." Wisely staying silent, he only nodded and waited for her to continue. "I was angry at you for leaving Rodney in the Wraith's hands. I should have trusted your judgment over my own feelings."

"Teyla," he said, slowly reaching out to place his hand over hers, "I understand why you were upset. Hell, I doubted myself with every step we took away from that place."

She shook her head. "You should not have done so. It was truly the best choice offered to us. I was just…afraid…to lose Rodney, especially since we were so close to losing you, as well."

The cocky grin once more made an appearance. "Eh, you know me. I'm too stubborn to go out without a fight. And so's Rodney," he added after a moment's pause.

She returned his smile with a mischievous one of her own. She knew what he was doing, subtly changing the subject to avoid talking about feelings, but she let it slide. Somehow, without directly saying anything, he'd made it clear that he'd accepted her apology, and it settled her mind better than if he'd actually spoken the words. "I could think of another word beside 'stubborn' to describe you, John," she replied playfully, "but I suppose it will do. For now."

He chuckled then and patted her hand, which still lay underneath his palm, warm and soft against his skin. "So, are we okay?"

"Yes," she replied, her breath escaping in a relieved sigh. "I believe so."

"Good."

She watched him silently for a while longer, her brown eyes seeming to slowly memorize every inch of his face. Then, she leaned forward and gently touched her forehead to his.

"You should get some rest," she said as she pulled away again. John wanted to reach out to her, pull her back to him, feel the softness of her skin against his, but he didn't. Instead, he only nodded, his fingertips lightly scratching at his bare chest. For the past hour, the still-pink skin there had started itching badly, only adding to his agitation.

"I _should_, but I can't. I'm going stir-crazy in this room."

Teyla's mouth curved into a wry smile. "I can imagine. But," she said, standing up beside his bed, "both Doctor Keller and Sam have ordered you to stay here for at least one full day, to make sure you are fully healed."

John made a dramatic show of tossing his head back against his pillow and huffing out a sigh. "Keller just wanted me out of the infirmary so I wouldn't…what's the word she used? Irritate…so I wouldn't irritate Rodney anymore."

Teyla cocked an eyebrow as she remembered the conversation. John had teased Rodney endlessly about his head wound, wondering aloud if maybe Rodney did have amnesia after all. Rodney took him seriously, and started begging Keller to run brain scans on him, shouting that if he had lost any vital information in his superior mind, they might all die in some horrible crisis. Exasperated, Keller had finally kicked John out, confining him to his room, where he now sat arguing with Teyla.

"And Carter," he continued dryly, "well, she probably thinks that my being here will force me to catch up on mission and personnel reports." He snorted. "Like that's gonna happen."

Shaking her head, Teyla sighed and patted his shoulder. As insufferable as Rodney was being lately, even _he_ wasn't this bad. "Just try to relax. The day is nearly half-over, and then you can resume your usual duties."

Seeing there was no way he could get her to help him sneak out of his confinement, John huffed again, and sank further down under his covers. "Fine," he muttered. "But if anyone thinks I'm actually gonna sleep, well, they're wrong."

With a last encouraging smile, Teyla turned and left his room. The door shut behind her with a soft clang, and then he was left alone with his thoughts once more.

* * *

Colonel Sam Carter was at her desk, quickly skimming through the pile of reports that had been scattered across its top. She'd been at it for hours now, and her eyes were burning so badly she wanted to rip them out of her skull. She had just begun to yawn widely, when there was a knock on the doorjamb separating her office from the rest of the control room.

Quickly covering her mouth with one hand, she looked up and was none too startled to see who stood there, his shoulder resting precariously against the frame.

"John!" she said when her yawn had subsided. "Good to see you up and about."

Taking that as an invitation to enter, he pushed himself off the doorway, and meandered into the room. "Yeah, well, after nearly a week of doing _absolutely_ nothing, Doc Frankenstein finally said I was fit for duty, so…"

Amused at his nickname for Keller, she grinned and gestured for him to take a chair. At first, he only eyed the seat before her desk, then shrugged and dropped into it. While he got comfortable, stretching his legs out to their full length, she rifled through the manila folders on her desk, looking for a particular one.

"I was just going through your team's report on the latest mission…Ah!" She finally found the folder she was searching for, and pulled it out of the pile. She flipped it open, revealing a short stack of papers, and let her eyes skim over it again, though it was fairly unnecessary. John had already told her everything she'd needed to know when his team – minus Rodney – had flown the Jumper back to Atlantis. _Still, it never hurt to at least act like the expedition leader here_, she told herself.

"And?" John asked, and she blushed as she realized that she'd left the conversation hanging.

"And, one thing was never quite explained. Who – or what – made those eight Wraith soldiers disappear."

John shrugged and folded his hands behind his neck, his elbows pointed toward the ceiling. "Don't know. And," he added before she could reply, "I don't care."

Though she fully understood his reason for feeling that way, the scientific part of her mind couldn't help but be curious. Deciding to switch tactics, she asked, "Did you notice any evidence of a civilization down there? Any cities, ruins…?"

John shook his head. "As far as we could tell, the latest anyone lived there was a few decades, a century at most. The mine that the Wraith were holding us in was at least that old. The only other evidence besides that was a collection of rock walls; it could've been a fort, or a set of ruins, but it was too badly damaged for us to tell."

"So the Wraith could've made a visit years ago, and culled everyone on the planet then."

"Could be."

"But that still doesn't explain this at all," she sighed, her shoulders sagging. "And Rodney didn't find anything out besides where they were transported to."

Knowing where her thoughts were headed, John sat up, his palms flat on the surface of the desk. "Look, I know we blew up the mine and everything, but if a signal made it out for more reinforcements, the place could be crawling with Wraith by now."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he was so far ahead of her that he answered her statement before she could say it. "Besides, Rodney's scans didn't pick up any other life signs beside our own. We didn't even know the Wraith were there until they were on top of us."

"That's exactly my point, John. If the life-signs detector didn't pick up the Wraith, what's to say there's other people on the planet that it missed as well?"

She wasn't going to let this go, John realized then. But didn't she understand how close they came to being killed? Couldn't she see what the Wraith had done to him, to Rodney? He couldn't go through that again, and neither could his best friend. Please, he begged silently as he glared at her, don't make us go back there. But her mind was made up, he could see that much in her eyes, and he hated her for it. If anything happened to his team…

"Okay," he finally said, though his gaze was hard, unyielding. "But I'm not sure Rodney's up for…"

"Up for what?" Rodney's voice suddenly interrupted from the doorway. John craned his neck to the side, watching as the scientist walked in to join them. The cut on his face had all but faded, the only evidence of his torture a pink mark across his right cheek, about an inch and a half long and only millimeters wide.

"Carter wants us to go back to the planet, figure out what pulled the disappearing act on the Wraith," John explained, his eyebrows lifted at her in a "watch this" gesture. He knew what Rodney's reaction would be, and figured things were about to get interesting.

Sure enough, Rodney's face turned a variety of red shades, and he spluttered, "You can't be serious!"

"Rodney," she began, trying to calm him down. His head looked ready to explode, and the visual it prompted brought a grin to John's face. Surely Rodney would change her mind, convince her this was a horrible idea.

"That's a horrible idea!" Rodney shouted, and John quickly covered his mouth before a bout of laughter could escape. "Do you have any idea how many Wraith could be there by now? If even one Wraith escaped and sent a distress signal, there could be dozens of ships around the planet, waiting for some idiotic bunch of humans to go through the Gate!" He paused to catch his breath. "I, for one, do not plan on being one of those idiotic humans!"

"We've had the long-range sensors continuously doing sweeps since the Daedalus returned," she replied calmly. "Nothing's come through the Gate near the planet, and nothing's dropped out of hyperspace anywhere close to it, either."

_Damn_, John silently cursed as he watched the two scientists argue, _she's gonna win this round, too. Note to self, never play poker against Sam Carter. She'd clean you out before you could blink._

Rodney tried to think of another reason for them not to go, but nothing came. He glanced down at John, desperate for any idea, no matter how bizarre and unrelated, but John just shrugged. She's got us, his eyes seemed to say. Then, a sudden thought hit him, and he gave Carter a curious look.

"Wait a minute," he said, "as I recall, you weren't too hot on us going back there to rescue Rodney in the first place."

"She wasn't?" Rodney squeaked, his expression turning hurt, and Carter silently cursed John for bringing it up. "You weren't?"

John ignored the interruption. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"Yes, please enlighten us."

"As I tried to explain before, there may still be innocent people stuck down there."

Rodney started to dispute that, but she went on. "I know there were no other detectable life signs, but whatever technology was used on the Wraith might've caused your equipment to malfunction."

He bit his bottom lip in thought as she spoke. It could be possible, he had to agree. Probable, no; but still possible. _Anything was possible in this galaxy_, he thought bitterly.

"And if I'm wrong, and there really is no one else there, then I at least would like to know more about the technology in question. Who built it, how and why it works…"

"Okay, okay. When do we leave?" Rodney asked, and John's head quickly snapped up to stare at him in disbelief.

"You're actually 'okay' with this?"

Rodney shrugged. "Truthfully, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on whatever took out the Wraith. Besides, if it's powered by a ZedPM, which it would have to be to have continued to function after all this time, we could definitely use it."

John muttered something that sounded like "Dear God," under his breath, and then rubbed his hands over his face, defeated. When he next looked at Carter, his gaze was as sharp as Ronon's sword. "I'm guessing I should call up Lorne's team again, right?"

Sam nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."

John stood up and took two steps toward the door. "Oh, believe me. Nothing about this idea is good. Just…less bad than running straight into a minefield."

Hiding her agitation at his comment, Sam watched him leave, then turned to gaze at Rodney, a wry smile on her face. "So, he's a little mad, huh?"

"A little?" Rodney replied, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking on his heels. When he saw the worried expression she gave, he suddenly stopped. "Oh, he'll get over it. Especially if there happens to be a hot princess down there somewhere."

Sam laughed aloud at that, but quickly slid back into professional-mode again. "Sorry. Just be careful, okay?"

"I usually try," he said as he crossed toward the door. Just before he disappeared around the corner, he added, "If we get into a mess, it's usually Sheppard's fault."

Carter leaned back in her chair, staring blindly at her own mess on the desk before her. Just once, she prayed that John and his team would stay out of trouble.

* * *

"Well, here we are again," John drawled to no one in particular as he did his customary visual sweep around them, his hands gripping his weapon tightly, just in case anything hostile popped out of the trees. Two Jumpers now rested in the meadow on the planet, and in front of them, the two Atlantis teams wandered back and forth, taking readings and conversing quietly among each other. _Carter was right about the lack of Wraith_, he thought sourly, _but that doesn't mean they can't arrive at any time._

John's eyes flitted around the group of people around him, silently taking count as well as just watching them. Teyla was near Rodney, listening patiently as he explained some scientific subject or another, and when she placed her hand on his friend's arm, John felt a strange emotion tighten in his chest. It was a motion she had repeated many times in the past, and yet this time, he suddenly wanted to march over there and pull her away. _Jealous?_ His mind asked him. No, he wasn't jealous; he was just looking out for her, protecting her. _But from whom? Rodney?_ It wasn't like Rodney was going to harm her. _What the hell is wrong with you, John?_ He asked himself.

Unable to answer that, he looked for Ronon, and found him crouching by one of Lorne's men, showing him one of the knives he'd pulled out from one of the many hiding places on his body. He searched his memory until he came up with the man's name – _Cornell. Matt Cornell. Nice guy, always has a good story in every situation_, he remembered. At the moment, Matt was holding Ronon's knife, turning it over in his hands and testing the blade on his fingertip. As Ronon took it back and slid it into his boot, Matt pulled out a knife of his own, a folding lock-back Buck with a wood-grain handle. He carefully held it out to the Satedan, who took it and gave it his approval with a lifted eyebrow.

"John," Teyla suddenly said from behind him, and he turned to look at her. "Rodney has located an energy reading on the scanner. He thinks it may be the origin of the technology we are looking for."

John nodded his understanding. "Okay. Lorne, your team is on Jumper-guard duty. If we don't radio back in two hours, come looking for us. Rodney will give you the coordinates we're heading for."

Coming to stand nearby, Rodney nodded. "Already done." He handed a small tablet to the member of Lorne's team he'd borrowed it from. The man took it from Rodney with a nod, and then disappeared into one of the Jumpers.

"And if Atlantis picks up anything on the sensors, let us know asap."

"Yes, sir," Evan said. He would've saluted, but he knew how much John hated it. He said it made him feel old, too important than he actually was. Of course, Lorne knew just how important John was, but he went along with the colonel's wishes anyway. He – and anyone who knew John well – knew that it made things around Atlantis go much easier.

"So," Rodney said, eagerly rubbing his hands together. "We ready to go, or would you rather tiptoe through the tulips for another hour?" Lorne clamped his lips shut to keep from smiling. Apparently, Rodney hadn't gotten the same memo.

John shot Rodney a look that instantly withered the grin on his face. Shifting the weight of his P90 in his hands, he turned in the direction Ronon and Teyla were already headed. "You're the navigator here, McKay. Get your butt in gear."

Now scowling rather than smiling, Rodney quickened his pace until he was in the lead. John watched Rodney's jacket bounce up and down as he moved, stepping over branches and rocks inside the forest, somehow managing to evade every upright tree that loomed before him even as he stared down at his data pad. They continued in relative silence for a number of minutes, everyone but Rodney keeping a sharp watch out for any movement around them. When they had grown relatively comfortable with their surroundings, Teyla slowed her pace until she walked beside John, rather than in front of him.

"Is anything wrong?" She asked him, and he shook his head. He suddenly rubbed his hand over his face, shuddering as his fingers pulled away the sticky threads of a spider-web he'd just walked through. _Bugs_, his mind spat as if it were a curse. _Great. First Wraith, now bugs. _When was he going to have some good luck for a change?

"No. Why?" He asked in return. His mind flicked back to when he'd seen her with Rodney, her hand resting lightly on his arm, her smile warm and soft, and the feelings he'd encountered earlier raged hot in his chest. Suddenly afraid that she would somehow pick up on his thoughts, he pushed them away and gave her his best grin.

"You are…unusually quiet."

"Well, after what happened last time, I'm not exactly giddy to be back here. That may be why I'm a little…bummed out."

Teyla looked sympathetic. "I am not glad to return to this place, either. The air is too quiet, as if nature itself is holding its breath."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed, though his voice barely registered above its regular volume. "This whole thing just feels wrong."

Glancing ahead, he saw Rodney and Ronon still marching toward their intended destination. Ronon reached out and pulled Rodney toward him, just before the scientist could crash headfirst into a large conifer. Unfazed, Rodney kept walking, his forehead almost touching his portable screen.

"You think we'll actually find anything down here, or is this a colossal waste of our time?" John asked Teyla then, and she inhaled deeply before answering him.

"I do not know. But both Colonel Carter and Rodney seem to think there is something worth exploring."

John nodded, however, his gaze was cynical. "Rodney would think a paper bag was worth exploring, if it had Ancient symbols written on it."

Teyla's lips curved into a smile, but she otherwise ignored his jab at their friend. "Something made those soldiers vanish, John."

"I know," he sighed, kicking a small twig out of his way. "I just can't shake the feeling that this is gonna be a lot more involved than we're prepared for."

Her nod was solemn. "I feel the same." When she laid her hand on his arm, a warmth radiated through him, as it had the first time she had greeted him in the Athosian style, by gently touching her forehead to his. It felt comforting, almost intimate. And - although he wouldn't admit it to anyone - to him, it felt like home.

Her brown eyes holding fast to his hazel ones, she said, "But let us hope, for everyone's sake, that we are both wrong."

Unable to come up with a response to that, he merely nodded. She dipped her head at him once more, slowly, and then continued beside him in silence. John felt the knot in his gut ease slightly, but not enough to give him any peace.

Calling ahead to Rodney for a report on how much longer this was going to take, he uttered a silent plea that it wouldn't be long.

* * *

_TBC..._


	5. Disappeared

Chapter 5

"It should be right up here!" Rodney's voice rang through the trees, and John muttered a soft curse, which Teyla heard. He winced, then shot her an apologetic look. He usually tried to keep from swearing around a woman, but they'd been walking for almost an hour, and his patience was on its last leg.

"Why don't you shout a little louder, Rodney? I don't think they heard you back at the Jumpers!" He called to his friend.

Rodney seemed unaffected by John's irritated observation. Turning in a slow circle, he watched his data pad for the telltale blip that would show him the device's location. When the beep sounded, he stopped and stared confusedly at it, his eyebrows knitting closely together. "What?" He asked the screen. "That can't be right!"

Suddenly aware of a looming shadow over his right shoulder, Rodney slowly tipped his head up and to the left, to see Ronon staring down at him. As his heart-rate returned to normal, he said in a sing-song voice, "Personal space."

Ronon took a small step backward, just as John and Teyla reached them.

"What's up?" John asked them. "Why'd we stop?"

"Because we're here. We found it," Rodney replied with a sigh.

John was confused. After all his talk about a ZPM, Rodney should be excited. Lifting an eyebrow, he asked, "So where is it?"

"According to this piece of junk –" Rodney held up the data pad " – we're right on top of it."

Everyone automatically looked down at their feet. After a moment of examining the packed dirt under them, Ronon said, "Don't see anything."

Rodney scoffed. "Well, of course not, Conan. It's probably underground, buried in the tunnels that we blew up." He shot John a look that said "nice going".

"Totally unavoidable," John replied, shrugging. "Besides, we had to rescue your sorry behind somehow."

"Yes, well. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my garden shovel. Anyone else have one?"

"Come on, McKay," John warned, and the scientist glared back at him, clearly upset by this turn of events. John couldn't say he didn't understand; they'd come here, against his better judgment, and now, they'd run into a veritable roadblock. Par for the course, it seemed.

"Perhaps there is another way into the cave system?" Teyla asked them, her eyes already scanning the landscape around them.

Latching on to this idea, John looked hopefully at Rodney. All he wanted was to get this mission over with, one way or another.

"Well?" He prompted. Rodney gazed down at his data pad and pressed a few buttons on the screen. After a short pause, he bobbed his head enthusiastically.

"Yes, 2.7 kilometers to the…" he checked the readings again, "east."

"Great." Ronon raised his weapon and started off. The rest of the group followed, John once more taking up the rear. He wondered then how Lorne's men were doing, and decided to check in with them.

He tapped the com in his ear. "Major?"

"Yes, Colonel?"

"Any word from Atlantis?"

Evan looked to Cornell, who had just come out of Jumper Two, where he'd been keeping an eye on subspace communications. Cornell shook his head, and Lorne nodded once in understanding. "Nothing yet. How's it going out there?"

John sighed. "Just a whole lot of walking so far."

"I don't envy you, sir," Lorne chuckled. He'd been going on recon missions for years before he'd joined the Atlantis expedition, and barring a sudden enemy attack, they usually turned out to be fairly tedious.

"Thanks," John remarked a little bitterly. It seemed everyone except him was having a good time. "We think we've found the device, but it's underground. We're heading to a cave about 3 clicks east from the coordinates Rodney gave you. Hopefully, we'll be able to get to the device from there. I'll check back in an hour."

"Understood. Lorne out."

John clicked off and kept his place in the line, alternately watching his team and looking for any exposed roots to avoid tripping over. After a long while, the monotony of the forest, coupled with his recent lack of sleep, began to wear him out. He tried to entertain himself by humming, but his brain was too foggy to think of more than four songs. More than once, he found his eyelids drooping, and he took a few deep breaths of the fresh, woody air to wake him up a little.

The next time he looked up, he saw that the gap between Teyla and the other two men on his team had widened considerably, and he opened his mouth to call for them to slow down. But before he could utter a word, a strange purplish glow enveloped Ronon and Rodney, and then they were both gone.

* * *

John rushed to where Teyla stood and pulled her back into the forest. When they had backed up to a distance that he hoped would be safe enough, he tapped his com.

"Lorne, come in!"

Evan stood up from the rock he'd been reclining on, and immediately responded. "I'm here, Colonel."

"We've got a huge problem. Rodney and Ronon just disappeared. I think whatever took those Wraith has them."

"Are you all right, Colonel?"

"Yeah. Just…" he looked at Teyla, whose eyes were wide with fear and confusion. "Pretty freaked out. Look, Rodney had the map with him, and it was a long walk…"

Understanding what John was trying to say, Lorne turned and gestured for his men to gear up as he replied, "We're on our way. We'll keep in radio contact until we've got a visual on you."

John uttered a sigh of relief. He'd always known he'd picked the right man for his XO, but now, he was especially glad for it. "Trust me, we're not goin' anywhere."

When the colonel had ended the com link, Evan turned to his men, a grim look on his face. "Okay, guys, this has now become a rescue mission. We're going to find Colonel Sheppard and Teyla first, then coordinate a search for Dr. McKay and Ronon."

His team all nodded their understanding, followed by four shouts of "Yes, sir". Evan took second position, and Ted Foster, the "geek" of the group was on point, leading them to the coordinates on his hand-held scanner. Cornell was behind Lorne, and Paul Medina was slightly behind and beside him. Dennis Gibson, their explosives expert, took up the rear, every now and then turning around to keep an eye on their "six".

As they walked, the mood was subdued, each man contemplating the severity of the situation in which Sheppard's team found themselves in. Evan kept in contact with John periodically, more to keep both the colonel and himself calm than for any proprietary reason. This last time, he'd assured John that his team would be nearing his location within the hour.

"Good to hear, Major. But don't worry too much about me and Teyla. Just keep your eyes out for any sign of Wraith," John said as he shrugged off his jacket and gave it to Teyla, who was trying to hide the fact that she was shivering. He was used to the cold; he'd lived at McMurdo for quite a while prior to joining the expedition, so he could handle the slight chill that swept around them with almost no problem. Teyla took it from him with a nod of gratitude, sliding it on backwards, so that the body heat it had absorbed would be closer to her chest. He grinned at the sight of her, thinking that the way his jacket wrapped around her looked a bit like a straitjacket.

"Will do, Colonel," Lorne replied. As he switched off the com, he looked to Cornell. "You happen to grab a few blankets from the Jumper? It's getting pretty cold out here."

Matt nodded. "Medina's got 'em. And," he added, before Evan could ask, "we grabbed some spare rations, and I've got some hot coffee in my pack."

Evan grinned and started walking again. "Sheppard will appreciate that, I'm sure."

"It's a good thing Doctor McKay has Ronon with him. If they're out in the woods somewhere, he'll know how to start a fire, find some food."

"Key word being 'if'," Evan replied a little grimly. He'd come to understand that just when you expect something to happen one way, in the Pegasus, it usually came out completely backwards.

Refusing to be pessimistic, Matt shrugged and said, "Anyway, I'm sure they're fine."

Lorne looked up at the gaps between the treetops, and saw that their light was fading fast. He hoped Cornell was right, that they were indeed okay. His gut, however, told him differently.

* * *

John had found a small thicket that served fairly well as a windbreak, and was now snuggled into it. The temperature had dropped rapidly after his last conversation with Lorne, sending suddenly-frigid breezes across his body. Since Teyla still wore his jacket, he was now only clad in his t-shirt and tac vest, and the gray pants of his uniform.

"What're you doing?" He asked Teyla, who was pacing back and forth nearby, every now and then stamping her feet to keep her blood flowing.

"Keeping watch for Major Lorne," she answered, though her chattering teeth made her sound like she was stuttering.

"Well, stop." When she turned to look at him, puzzled, he explained, "The wind is gonna freeze you solid pretty soon. Just…come and sit down here."

Teyla eyed the makeshift shelter. She really should stay where she was, out in the open where Lorne could see her, but John's hideout looked much more inviting.

"It's warmer," he sang, tempting her, and she finally gave up her watch. As she sat down beside him, he wrapped his arm around her, his hand vigorously rubbing her bicep to warm it. When her shivering had become a little more intermittent, he grinned and said, "See? Told ya."

"Yes, you did."

As they sat there, they chatted about anything they could think of, just to keep each other awake and entertained. The wind continued to howl around them, shaking the tree branches above them so that they sounded like dry bones rattling together. The darkness was thick, the moon's light little more than a subtle glow in the sky. Soon, John convinced Teyla to sit in front of him, his extremely cold hands clasped over her stomach and his warm breath stirring her golden hair. He could feel her shaking intensely, and though his own body shivered as well, he wished there was more he could do to warm her. As it was, all he could do was keep reminding her that Lorne would be there soon, that they'd soon be back in the Jumpers, warm and cozy. Though she could barely move, her body stiff with the cold, she nodded at his comforting words.

Finally, just when John felt as if he couldn't stay awake any longer, they heard hushed voices coming nearer to them. Too cold and tired to stand, they waited until they were sure Lorne could hear them, and then shouted to catch his attention.

Evan's team found them in the thicket, their lips taking on a blue tint and their faces pale. Within moments, John and Teyla found themselves wrapped in layers of blankets; a thin, silver survival blanket first, followed by thicker woolen blankets on top. Evan helped Teyla to her feet first, his expression grim as he took in her uncontrolled shaking, and ordered Medina to start walking her back to the Jumpers immediately. As they started off, he turned back to John, his concern overriding his fatigue.

"Was wondering when you were gonna show up," John mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around him.

"Sorry for the delay, Colonel," Evan replied. "We had to backtrack a little, because of a downed tree."

John managed a grin. "This was a pretty bad idea, huh?"

"I would say so."

"Yeah, well I _did_ say so. Carter's gonna get an earful when we get back."

Cornell stepped forward then, with a cup of steaming coffee in his hands. He handed it to John with an apologetic grin. "Sorry it's not as hot as it used to be. This cold is brutal."

"You're telling me." He took the cup and held it between both hands, letting the heat from the cup warm them. "Thanks."

He downed the cup in three gulps, relishing in the warmth that slid down to his stomach, then slowly began to spread throughout his chest. As he handed the cup back to Cornell, he asked Lorne if there'd been any word from Atlantis, or Rodney.

Evan shook his head. "Not a peep from Atlantis. And we've been trying to get Rodney, but either he can't hear us, or can't respond. Sorry, Colonel."

John nodded. "Maybe it's a good sign. If they're holed up in the caves, radio might not penetrate the rock." He gave a wry smile. "And it's probably warmer in there."

"Well, in either case, we should get you back to the Jumpers to warm up. As soon as day breaks, we'll set out again to find them."

Though it was the best possible plan, given the extreme cold, John still battled with leaving the rest of his team out there somewhere. He'd already left Rodney behind once, and he'd sworn not to do it again. But what good would it do to look for them now, if he froze to death out here?

Finally, he nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

With Cornell under orders to keep the thermos handy, they kept as close to one another as they could and headed back the way they came.

* * *

Now safe and warm inside Jumper One, John slept, and for once, he had no nightmares. He woke once, when Evan came in to check on him and Teyla, but the Jumper's heated interior combined with the layers of blankets, making him drowsy and content, and he slipped easily back into sleep within moments. Likewise, Teyla woke and exchanged a few words with Evan, then turned on her side and drifted off again. Evan watched them for a while after, huddled closely together on the Jumper floor, and silently breathed in a sigh of thanks for their safety before leaving them alone again.

_Now_, he thought as he went to check in with his men, _if we could only find Rodney and Ronon in the same relative condition, everything would truly be okay._

As soon as he stepped into Jumper Two, Cornell got his attention, and he went to the forward section, sliding into the passenger's seat.

"I got a hold of Atlantis, and filled them in on the situation. Colonel Carter said to follow through with the plan of finding Dr. McKay and Ronon, and then return to the city as soon as we have them."

"Did she say anything about any Wraith in the area?" Evan asked.

Matt shook his head. "She said nothing's come up on long-range, but they'll continue to scan until we radio that we're on our way back."

"Okay. Let me know if anything changes. I'm gonna catch forty."

"You got it," Matt replied, and Evan stood up and went to the rear of the Jumper. Gibson and Foster were on one of the benches that lined the bulkhead, discussing football, and Medina was on the other, a thick paperback book in his hands.

When he saw Lorne standing there, Medina closed the book around his finger, holding his place. "Need me to move, Major?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Evan said with a grin. "I'm gonna try and get a quick nap in before daylight."

"No trouble," Medina replied with a shrug. He quickly switched to the other side of the Jumper and sat back down, and Evan stretched out on the now-empty bench, his hands folded behind his head. Medina went back to reading his book, though his eyes peeked over the top every now and then to watch his superior. He noticed, with a frown of concern on his tanned face, that Evan must've drifted off almost immediately, and he wondered if the major was pushing himself too hard.

Paul Medina was no spring chicken when it came to the military game. He might not show it often, but he knew a lot about stress, and what it did to a man, any man. He also knew that the times the major seemed the most stressed, the most tired, was when Sheppard's team was in trouble. He supposed that was how it was supposed to be, after all, Sheppard was Lorne's superior; loyalty was something to be honored in every branch of the military. But Paul also knew that if you pushed yourself too hard, you could very well blow out, and he didn't want that to happen to Lorne. His superior was a good leader, a good man, and he doubted if there'd ever be another like him in either galaxy.

Of course, he didn't really blame Sheppard for this latest mess. It wasn't his fault that McKay and Ronon had gotten into trouble, and for that matter, it wasn't McKay's fault, either. But the fact remained, Lorne was wearing himself out, and if he didn't slow down, something bad was going to happen to him.

Paul decided not to bring it up to the major yet. For now, he'd watch and wait. When they figured out who had caused all this, then, and only then, would he get revenge for what they were all going through.

* * *

_TBC..._


	6. Descended

_A/N: Just had to fix a minor thing in this chapter. I realized that I never really described what Lorne's men look like, especially Matt Cornell. But I made it all better now. In case visuals will help, Paul Medina resembles Javier Bardem (or Jeffrey Dean Morgan...they kinda look alike). Foster is a a mix of a little Simon Baker, with some Tim McGee (NCIS) and a pair of glasses thrown in. I dunno...he's just cute and nerdy..LOL. Gibson is kind of like a young Robert Patrick, only a little...friendlier, and of course, Matt Cornell looks like my hubby, whose pic I think I might throw up on my profile, so you can see. _

_Anyway, enjoy the few changes, and chapter 7 is on its way! _

* * *

Chapter 6

The next morning, John woke slowly, his limbs feeling like lead bricks. He knew from the hard surface underneath him that he was on the Jumper's grated floor, but what he wasn't sure of was who was curled up against him, their back to his chest and his arm wrapped around their waist. Carefully cracking one eye open, he saw a familiar head full of brown hair, and he exhaled the breath he'd been holding in. Laying this way with her felt natural, and she was now so warm, so comforting, that he wanted to fall asleep again. But in spite of that, he gently pulled his arm back and rolled slightly away, putting a few more inches of space between them.

Feeling John move, Teyla also woke up, and was instantly aware of her surroundings. When she also noticed how close they had become over the night, she pushed herself into a seated position, smiling uncomfortably.

"I…I am sorry, John. I did not realize…" she stuttered, but John stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"'S okay, Teyla. Probably totally my fault."

She shook her head and continued. "I was just so cold…"

"Yeah," he interjected again, "Me, too." Rolling his neck to ease the tension there, he asked, "What time is it?"

"I am not sure, but it is some time after dawn."

John followed her gaze through the Jumper's front windscreen, and saw sunlight streaming through the trees outside. Just then, the rear hatch opened, and Major Lorne walked up the ramp to them.

"Good. You're awake," he said with a genuine smile. "Cornell's got some breakfast made, if you're hungry."

"Starved," John replied, his growling stomach further punctuating his statement. He looked to Teyla. "How 'bout you?"

She nodded emphatically. "I am hungry as well."

When they reached the meadow, they saw Lorne's team all sitting around a small campfire, each one holding a cup between their hands to ward off the fading morning chill. John found a large empty spot on a log someone had dragged close to the fire, and sat down, gently pulling Teyla down beside him. From the next log over, Gibson uttered a "good morning," and John returned it with a small grin. Lorne pressed the coffee-filled top of a Thermos into John's hands, and he took it with a nod of thanks, drinking it as Cornell passed one to Teyla as well. Though she didn't care much for coffee – especially black, as John liked it – she gulped it down, feeling it burn off the last of the cold that had seeped into her body the night before.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said after she finished it and handed the empty cup back. "It was very good."

Cornell ducked his head. "No problem, ma'am."

Now that it was daylight, and he and Teyla were out of harm's way – at least for the moment – John took the time to study Evan's men. Dennis Gibson was 30 at most, with a slightly rounded jaw and brush-cut, light-brown hair. There was a small scar above his left eyebrow, and though his blue eyes looked serious, his smile was warm and friendly. Paul Medina was at least 20 years Gibson's senior, his tanned skin and dark features clearly showing his Spanish heritage. His face held just a hint of salt-and-pepper stubble, which strangely had the effect of making him look younger rather than older.

Ted Foster sat beside Medina, his green eyes taking on a warm amber glow as he stared at the fire before him. At the moment, he was cleaning his glasses on his shirt, not even looking as his hand slowly rubbed the lenses against his black t-shirt. It was as if the fire had mesmerized him, like a cobra swaying back and forth. As he slipped the glasses back on, he rubbed a hand through his sandy hair and then took a slow sip of his coffee.

On the other side of the fire, Cornell stood poking at one of the logs with a blackened stick, looking deep in thought. John decided that out of the four, he liked Matt the most. The lieutenant had a certain attitude about him that mimicked John's, one that could be careful and cautious one moment, and perfectly reckless the next. John watched as Matt pulled out the buck knife he'd shown Ronon earlier, unfolding its blade and using it to sharpen the end of his stick. Matt's pale blue eyes focused on his work, not wavering even when a stray lock of his dark brown hair fell onto his forehead, tickling the skin there. His calloused hands brushed away the slivers of wood that peeled away from the stick, then carelessly wiped against his dark pants.

Suddenly, Evan sat down beside John, and the colonel turned to look at him. The dark circles under Evan's eyes showed how weary he was, as did the heavy sigh he breathed out as he sat down.

"You get any sleep last night, Major?" John asked him.

"A little. But it's hard to rest on a different planet, with the threat of a Wraith invasion at every turn."

"That's true."

"Besides," Evan said, "I had to keep an eye on the two of you. Teyla was pretty near hypothermic, and you were catching up to her. Fast."

John shifted uncomfortably. Knowing he couldn't downplay the seriousness of their situation this time, he settled for gratitude. "Well, thanks for looking out for us, Major. We were lucky your team came along for the ride."

"Yes. Thank you, Major," Teyla echoed, and Evan grinned widely.

"No problem. I'm just glad we got to you when we did."

"And I'm glad someone thought to bring some coffee," John joked, bringing a smile to Cornell's face.

"That was me, sir," Cornell volunteered from his place on the opposite side of the fire, where he was using the toe of his boot to push a stray log back onto the coals.

"Good thinking."

After a few minutes' pause, Teyla leaned over to look at Evan and asked, "What is the plan for searching for Rodney and Ronon?"

"I've been thinking about that," Evan replied, the corners of his mouth tugged into a slight frown. "We can't very well go back to the place they disappeared, as we could get into the same trouble they did. We've been scanning for their life signs, and so far, we've come up with nothing. And they haven't tried to reach us over the radio, either."

"But as I pointed out, they could be deep underground, where the detector can't reach," John reminded him.

Evan nodded. "It's possible. But unless they're injured, they should've tried to get back to the Jumpers by now."

John thought about that for a moment, and realized that he was right. Ronon, at least, would've come outside at first light, if for no other reason than to find food, or to signal for help. It wasn't looking too good, he had to admit.

"Okay," he finally said, standing up and stretching his limbs, "here's what we do. We split into two groups. Lorne – you, Gibson, and Medina take one Jumper, and I'll take Teyla, Cornell, and Foster in the other one. We fly as low as we can over the planet's surface to scan for our guys' transmitter signals, but high enough that we'll hopefully be out of range for the device to grab us."

Lorne nodded. It was the best plan they had so far. "Yes, sir." Turning to his men, he called, "Let's get this cleaned up, and head out."

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. Come in."

Seated in the pilot's chair of Jumper One, John tapped a button on the console before him. "I'm here, Major."

"Colonel, we've been searching for over two hours, with not so much as a single beep."

John sighed, casting a quick, sidelong glance at Teyla, who looked as discouraged as Lorne sounded. "We've only been over half the planet, Major."

"I realize that, sir. It's just…we've been over the half closest to where they were beamed out, and…"

Before Lorne could continue on his tirade, John said, "Look, I know what you're thinking. But Rodney found the Wraith soldiers we encountered over 50 kilometers from where they disappeared. He and Ronon have to be here somewhere."

"John," Teyla suddenly interrupted. She'd been listening to them, slowly growing more agitated as precious seconds ticked by, when an idea struck her. "What if they were not transported anywhere?"

John swiveled his head around toward her. "What're you saying?"

"What if the device malfunctioned somehow, and they are still trapped within it?"

"What, like Rodney and Cadman inside the Dart a few years ago?"

She nodded. "Exactly."

As he digested this new theory, John's gut dropped into his feet. Rodney was the smartest person on Atlantis, the one they went to when things like this happened. If he was inside the device, who could they go to, to get him out?

"She could have a point," Foster said from behind him. "If this device is Ancient, or even as old as that, something could've gone wrong with it. Ten thousand years is a long time for something like that to run constantly."

"If it was running constantly," John muttered. "Okay, Lorne. New plan. Let's land the Jumpers, and head out on foot."

"You got it." Lorne had overheard the conversation, and was likewise troubled over Teyla's suggestion. He expertly landed Jumper Two on a large plateau overlooking a steep ravine, remarking offhand to Gibson how much the scenery resembled the Grand Canyon. Indeed, it looked much like the mile-deep formation on Earth, from the red, brown, and tan layers of rock that ran parallel to the horizon, right down to the irregular spires that jutted up into the sky. Evan couldn't help but be awed by the panorama before him, even as a sense of unease settled within his gut.

A few moments later, Jumper One could be seen flying past and then banking to the right, in order to land beside them. Medina opened the cargo bay door while Lorne powered the vehicle down, and the three of them exited onto the plateau to meet the others. John was the first one out of the other Jumper, still attaching his gear to his tac vest, followed closely by Teyla and Foster. Ted looked positively scared, his big green eyes blinking rapidly, reminding John of an owl. Teyla, on the other hand, concealed her concern well, even managing to give him a small grin. Cornell finally filled out the full complement of people outside the Jumpers, a data pad in his hand.

"Okay," he said, coming to stand beside John, "I've marked the position of the energy readings Dr. McKay picked up, as well as the last place he and Ronon were seen. From what I can tell, there's another way into the cave system that no one saw before."

"I sense a 'but' coming," John replied, drawing a nod from Matt.

"It's not gonna be a walk in the park, that's for sure." He held the data pad out so John could see it, and pointed to the left corner of the screen. "There's an opening right here, about 100 yards down the cliff face."

"So we'll need to rappel down to it to get inside," John huffed. Heights were definitely not his friend, and after the quarantine incident on Atlantis, when he was forced to climb up the outside of the central spire, he wasn't looking forward to facing this particular fear again. But as it was, it seemed to be the only way to get his friends back, so he swallowed against the panic that rose inside his throat, and nodded.

"Well, let's get there, and then we'll figure out the rest."

When the Jumpers were sufficiently cloaked, they headed over to the next ridge, first hiking down a particularly steep ridge, and then up again. Many times, their boots slipped on the crumbling shale of the ravine, and their pace suffered considerably as they hauled one team member or another back onto more solid ground.

For the thirtieth time since they'd come here, John cursed the planet as his foot slipped, and the only thing he could grab onto was a small outcropping that stuck out above his head. He just managed to catch the lip of rock with his fingers, and swung his entire weight over to the small ledge the rest of the team stood upon. He landed hard and almost tipped backward into the open air, but Cornell reached out and grabbed onto his vest, pulling him close to the canyon wall.

"Thanks," John breathed, his heart's jack-hammering turning to a quick thudding instead.

"No problem, sir."

"How much further is this damn cavern?"

Cornell pulled the data pad out of his vest and glanced down at it. "Should be around the next outcropping, and then down."

John craned his neck, leaning slightly over the edge. Sure enough, he could see a small portion of the cave's opening behind and below the bulge of rock that stood in their way. He pulled back again and examined the outcropping; the ledge that bisected it was even thinner than the one they stood on now, only able to accommodate one person at a time. If they were to have a chance of getting to the rim over the cave, they'd have to go single file, using the rocks that made up the wall as handholds as they inched across.

"Okay," John said then, his hands and feet tingling at the dizzying task ahead. "Lorne, you're first. Next is Medina, then Foster. Teyla, you'll be after him, followed by Gibson and Cornell. I'll go last."

Everyone nodded solemnly as their eyes took in the tiny ledge, and the deadly drop into nothing just beyond it.

"Take it slow and steady. I don't need to lose anyone else out here," he quietly cautioned.

Evan took in one steadying lungful of air after another, and when he was ready, shuffled carefully onto the natural bridge, his fingers gripping onto the partially exposed boulders and stones. He stopped once, when a shower of pebbles and dust rained down on him from above, but as soon as it was clear again, he kept going, his boots carefully scuffling across the path. Everyone else held their breath as they watched him, time seeming to slow to little more than a crawl. There was a collective exhaling of relief when both of Evan's feet reached the wide ridge that projected above the cave's entrance, and he gave John a thumbs-up.

The rest of the team made it safely across as well, and wordlessly decided to rest for a few minutes before continuing. As they sat down, John gazed at the canyon beyond them, watching as a falcon-like bird wheeled around the sky. He silently envied the bird, wishing that he was flying like it was, his only care being how much fuel he had left in his aircraft. Unfortunately, this galaxy had decided long ago not to cooperate with his wishes, and he was stuck here instead – on a dusty ridge in a barren canyon, with two of his best friends missing.

Too soon, the time to rest was up, and he and Lorne busied themselves with setting up a rappelling rig. Evan secured the rig to a sturdy boulder, then tested it by yanking hard on the rope. It held, and he nodded grimly at John, who gestured to Gibson to go first.

"Piece of cake, right, sir?" Gibson said in a half-serious tone as he clipped himself to the rope.

"Right. Just take it easy."

Gibson nodded and descended over the lip, slowly climbing further down, until John lost sight of him. When they could no longer even hear the creaking of the rope, John's heart rate ratcheted up a few notches, and there was a horrible moment where he imagined that the explosives expert had fallen, and his body was now laying broken on the jagged peaks below.

Then, the rope went slack, and Gibson's voice called up to them. "I'm down!"

"Okay!" Evan called back. "Medina's next!"

No more than twenty minutes later, everyone had climbed down, and were standing just inside the entrance to the cavern. John pulled a MagLite out of his pack and switched it on, shining it into the thick blackness before them. Behind him, he heard a few gasps of awe as the beam illuminated the quartz embedded in the rock, making them glitter like a thousand stars. Massive stalagmites twisted up from the floor of the cave, some of them nearly touching the ceiling, while their stalactite counterparts grew downward like icicles from a roof. Somewhere beyond the flashlight's reaches, water dripped sporadically into pools below, but it was the only sound they heard beside their own breathing.

"Hey, Cornell," John called softly over his shoulder. Although the roof looked particularly solid, he would rather not find out the hard way that it wasn't, and despite the beauty of this place, he really didn't want to be trapped here forever.

Cornell was beside him in a matter of seconds. "Yes, sir?"

"How far is the device from here?"

"A little over two miles."

John shrugged. "That's not too bad. It's about how far I run every night."

"There's something else."

John turned to face Cornell. "And here I thought it would be easy."

Matt gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Sorry, sir. As you can see, the cave's entrance is huge, like, Superdome huge. But the farther you go, the smaller it gets, until…"

John already knew where he was going with this, and finished, "…Until only one person can get in with the device."

Matt nodded. "And even then, whoever goes in will have to lay down to fit."

"Great," John muttered. Why did nearly every mission have to go from a bad situation to the worst possible, in a matter of minutes?

Teyla stepped in front of John then, her eyes seeming even wider in the glow from his flashlight. "I will go."

John shook his head. "I need you back here, Teyla."

Undeterred, she continued, "I am the smallest among our group. I will fit more easily into the space where the device is located." Not giving him a second chance to refuse, she turned to Cornell. "I would greatly appreciate if you would guide me through these tunnels over the radio."

"Radios won't work," Foster called from where he stood near the entrance. "The minerals in this rock, especially the quartz we saw earlier, are causing interference."

And John had thought it couldn't get any worse. "So what do we do, then?"

"We all go as far as the cave will allow. When it gets too narrow, Teyla –" John's piercing glare made him stop and correct himself " – or whoever, will continue on alone to the device."

"And what if they get stuck?" John asked. This mission was really starting to agitate him, on every level. "How are we even gonna know?"

Foster shrugged. "We won't."

Evan glanced around the group, and saw the same hopeless expression on every face. Still, he noticed that Teyla was weighing the options, and suddenly her eyes took on a glitter of determination. Her mind made up, she placed her hand on John's forearm, a ghost of a smile flicking over her lips.

"I think we should continue, John. Rodney and Ronon are depending on us to help them."

Knowing enough about John and his temper, the rest of the team quickly and quietly retreated a safe distance away. Anything above a whisper echoed easily in the cavern, but they at least wanted to give John and Teyla the appearance of privacy.

"And how are you gonna help them if you're trapped between thousands of tons of rock?" John hissed, his eyes stormy.

Her expression never wavered as she replied, "I will be careful, and the moment I feel I am in danger, I will return to you."

"You can't be serious!" The chuckle he let out seemed almost mad. "We're talking about a space just large enough for one person to lay down and crawl! If anything goes wrong, it'll be like a stone casket. A casket the size of an entire mountain!"

As he shouted at her, her eyes remained locked on his face, though they soon filled with frustrated tears. Why couldn't he understand that she needed to help? She needed to have her friends back; it was the only thing that was driving her to do such a risk-filled task. Couldn't he see that losing Rodney and Ronon was hurting her just as much as it did him? His apparent selfishness quickly began to anger her, and she frowned deeply, her slender eyebrows nearly touching.

"Then who would you have go instead?" She asked. "You?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

She folded her arms. "Why?" When he didn't answer immediately, she nodded perceptively. "Because you somehow feel responsible for their disappearance."

John inhaled deeply and ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he'd picked up some time after his first trip through the Stargate. "I can't risk it, Teyla. I…" he shook his head, and his voice dropped a few decibels, "…we…already lost two of the team. I won't let you get lost, too."

Touched by his concern, but still resolved in her mind, she stepped closer to him, both hands now placed on his shoulders. "You will not lose me, John. I promise."

Though he knew he should be comforted by her words, all he felt was a cold emptiness inside him, as if she were already gone. His mind screamed at him to stop her, to tie her up to one of those huge columns if he had to, but he only nodded instead. She started to walk away from him, but he reached out and caught her elbow, and she turned back, a question in her eyes. He gazed at her silently for a second, as if he were struggling to find the words he wanted to say. Then, he blinked, and the look was replaced by his usual air of authority.

"The moment you're in trouble…" he warned, and she nodded her understanding. As she turned away again, he sighed deeply. He had the strange feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.

"All right, kids," he called, his casual demeanor back in place, "let's get a move on."


	7. Enclosed

_AN: Hey again! New Chapter here...hope you enjoy...I tried to capture the feeling of being in a tight space, like a tiny cave tunnel - the claustrophobia and all, as I am deathly afraid of them. Hope it worked out well. Not much else to explain, so read on, faithful followers...and *please* read and review!  
_

* * *

Chapter 7

Teyla slid on her belly through the tight crevice the cave had narrowed into, her hands dirty and scraped by the sharp pebbles under her. The air here was thin, causing her to catch her breaths in small, short gasps. She managed to control the panic that rose in her chest with every inch she moved, as it only slowed her down, trying to convince her to go back to where John and the rest of the men waited. The small flashlight John had ordered her to take bobbed with every motion of her hand, but she was grateful to have it. The darkness in the tunnel pressed itself upon her, almost tangible, and she feared that if she lost what little light she now possessed, she would go insane.

Behind her, the men's voices were little more than a low murmur, and fading fast. She silently wondered now if John had been right to try and stop her, if this had been a big mistake on her part. Certainly, he'd been convinced that it was. But when she thought of Rodney and Ronon, her resolve hardened again. _No_, she thought, _they need me to do this. I must keep going._

Finally, the claustrophobic pressure of the cave eased slightly, and her flashlight's beam showed that the tunnel ahead of her was wider. Breathing a sigh of relief, Teyla cleared her mind and pushed herself forward, until she was able to raise herself back up onto her hands and knees. Though she wanted desperately to tell John that she was all right, she remained silent, knowing that any loud noise could bring the walls of the tunnel between them tumbling down. Instead, she kept crawling toward the place Cornell and Foster had told her the device should be, her eyes never moving from the black space in front of her. Soon, the darkness was replaced by a faint purple glow, and she could see that she had reached the end of the tunnel. She sat down at the edge, her legs dangling only inches from the floor of the next cave. Then, she leaned forward and dropped down, landing lightly on her feet.

The cavern that held the device was half the size of the one they had entered from the cliff face, though there were clearly more rock formations here. Rather than definite shapes pointing in both directions, the deposits formed huge columns that shimmered even more brightly than the ones in the main cave had. Teyla swung her light around, picking out the best path for her to reach the device. When she'd found it, she tread carefully, trying to avoid the sharp points of rock that jutted up from the floor, until she stood only a dozen feet away from the machine that had taken her friends.

Mouthing a silent prayer to the Ancestors that it would not capture her as well, she edged forward and then knelt down before it. Now that she could clearly see the machine's components, surprise dawned on her and then slowly turned to fear. The device was not of Ancient design; in fact, there was nothing familiar to her about this technology at all. The only thing that stood out to her was a panel near the bottom, which contained strange symbols that seemed to run up and down, rather than lengthwise.

Slowly standing up, Teyla pondered what she should do. They had come so far; did she really want to just turn back now? But this device was so different from the ones Rodney had allowed her to watch him work on, and if she touched one wrong button, made one wrong move…

Sighing in frustration, Teyla allowed herself to gaze bitterly at the crevice she'd crawled through only moments before, and then hoisted her body back in the way she came.

John's surprise was only matched by his relief as he caught sight of Teyla's head emerging from the fissure, her honey-colored hair now coated with grayish-brown dust. He sprang forward and knelt down in front of the narrow opening, waiting until she was halfway out before grabbing her hand and hoisting her to her feet.

"You okay?" He asked her. As she was too busy catching her breath to speak, she nodded at him. John turned to Lorne and held out his hand. "Hand me some water."

Evan tossed a canteen to John, who caught it and twisted the top off, then handed it to Teyla. She gratefully took it and tipped the contents into her mouth, feeling the cool liquid wash away the grit on her tongue as she swallowed.

When her thirst was satisfactorily quenched, she gazed anxiously at John and said, "The device is not Ancient."

"What?" He asked, although he'd heard her just fine. "What do you mean?"

"It is not anything I have ever seen before." She sank hopelessly to the floor, her heart suddenly feeling too heavy for her to stand any longer. "There is no ZPM, no Ancient symbols."

John crouched beside her, his elbows resting on his thighs. "Well, can you describe it? Maybe we can figure out what it is," He offered, unwilling to give up yet.

She nodded. "It is about as tall as you, John, and just about your width. It is made of a strange crystalline material, and shaped like a…" she searched her mind for the right word, but nothing came. Instead, she leaned forward and drew the shape in the dirt. John leaned forward and glanced at it, nodding.

"A cylinder."

"Yes," she replied, "and its entire surface radiates a purple glow." As he moved to stand, she remembered something else and tugged at his sleeve, causing him to stop and look at her again. "There _was_ writing on it, and though I am not certain, I think I may have seen similar symbols before."

"Where?"

"On the Daedalus."

John's confused expression would have been comical any other time. Now, however, it only stirred the uneasiness in her stomach. Before he could speak, she explained what she meant. "I believe it is Asgard."

A murmur rippled through the men as they realized the implications of what she just said. John blinked at her a few times. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes. Although some of the symbols were not quite the same."

"I'll go take a look at it, Colonel," Foster said from behind him. "Maybe I can figure it out."

John turned to look at him. "You sure, Foster? It's a pretty tight squeeze."

"Yes," Teyla agreed. "I only barely fit into the space myself."

Despite the nervous blinking of his eyes, Tim nodded. "I'd really like to go. There's no telling how long a body can safely be contained in the device, let alone two."

John glanced at Lorne, who slowly nodded once. Then, he stood up, brushing the dirt from his hands, and reached down for Teyla's hand. She slipped her fingers into his palm, and he gripped them, using his weight to pull her to her feet. When she was standing beside him, he held out the canteen to her again. Smiling at his concern, she shook her head, and he tossed it to Gibson, who slipped it into his pack.

"Okay," he said. "Though it goes against my better judgment. Get in, have a look, and get back out."

"Understood, sir." Foster slipped the pack off his back and dropped it at his feet, then unbuckled his tac vest and let it fall beside the pack. John handed him the flashlight Teyla had used, and watched as he slipped headfirst into the narrow crawlspace. When his feet had disappeared from sight, John turned back to the others, a frown wrinkling his forehead.

"I think I know what he's thinking," Cornell offered then. He perched on a rather large rock nearby, his boots scraping loudly across the dirt floor, and scratched at the two-day's worth of stubble at his jaw. "The device might be Vanir."

John narrowed his eyes in thought. "You mean the rogue Asgard?"

Cornell nodded. "From your and Teyla's description, the beam that took Dr. McKay and Ronon sounds like Asgard tech. Then there's the symbols…"

"Sounds a little too much to be a coincidence," John agreed. Sighing, he leaned back against the wall and glanced at the ceiling. The stalactites above him pointed menacingly down at him, as if they were just waiting for a noise loud enough to send them down like jagged, rock daggers into his skull. "Well, we'll know more when Foster gets his ass back out here."

Cornell's suspicions were confirmed when Foster finally emerged from the crevice ten minutes later. Ted's green eyes sparked with both excitement and concern as he explained some of the symbols Teyla had seen earlier.

"It was originally meant to trap any Wraith that came to this planet, thousands of years ago. Then, they would either be transported to a holding facility to be…dealt with…" he grimaced, and everyone copied the look as they understood what he meant, "…or they could be contained within the device for a set amount of time, their life signs slowly weakening until they disappeared altogether."

"Like a Wraith 'roach motel'," John murmured.

Foster nodded. "The only problem is, the crystals powering the device have been continuously running the entire time, and are just now slowly dying out. That is probably why it only transported the Wraith soldiers you came across a couple dozen kilometers away, instead of halfway across the planet like it was designed to."

"And why it sucked up Rodney and Ronon."

He nodded again. "In short, the device is malfunctioning. I don't think I need to tell you that if those crystals die out completely…"

"Then we will lose Dr. McKay and Ronon forever," Teyla said softly. John caught the shine of tears in her eyes, and his heart squeezed in his chest.

Glancing once more at the black hole that led to the cursed device, he raised his voice only slightly and said, "All right, everyone. Let's pack up and get back to the Jumpers. From the looks of things here, we're gonna need some help."

* * *

John, Evan, and Teyla met Carter outside her office, which stood in a corner of the balcony above the Gate Room. She gave the gate technician a few quick instructions, and then led the way into the office. When everyone was inside, Evan shut the door and then stood beside it, his hands clasped in front of him.

"What's happening, John? Where's Rodney?"

"It doesn't look good, Sam," John said, his eyes dark with worry.

She sighed and leaned against her desk, her long, blond hair curved over one shoulder in a thick braid. "Okay. Tell me."

"The device isn't Ancient, it's Asgard. Well, Vanir, to be more precise."

"Vanir?" She asked, her blue eyes widening.

"Yeah. Those sneaky bastards were everywhere, it seems, and they are absolutely horrible at making Wraith traps."

There was a small chuckle behind him, and he knew without looking that it had come from Major Lorne. Then, Lorne cleared his throat and muttered, "Sorry." John glanced at Teyla, who was also trying to stifle a grin, and his jaw tightened. He hadn't really meant to be funny, but his wording made it sound like he was trying to crack a joke. Suppressing the urge to strangle someone, he took a step forward, locking his hands behind his back.

"We believe that the device was meant to capture Wraith, and…dispose of them. Only, it seems to have malfunctioned, and the beam took Rodney and Ronon, by mistake."

"But there should have been some kind of fail-safe to keep that from happening. After all, it was on a planet inhabited by humans," Sam said, her eyes shifting back to John's face. He was beginning to look tired again, his forehead creasing deeper with every second, and it worried her. She knew he would push himself as far as he had to in order to rescue his friends, even if that meant that he dropped dead of exhaustion. By the look of him, she guessed that he was about halfway there already.

"Yeah, well…problem is," John replied, "the device has been running full power for the past six or eight thousand years or so, with no one around to fix a broken fail-safe, much less a blown fuse. Anyway, we're in somewhat of a hurry here. If Foster's right, we may not have much longer to get Rodney and Ronon out."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

John sighed and rubbed a hand through his messy hair. "After all this time, the crystals are on their last legs, so to speak. And if the batteries die in the remote…"

She nodded in understanding, biting at the inside of her cheek. "Any information stored inside will die with it. Okay, so what do you need?"

"Not what," he replied with a shake of his head. "More like, who." When she merely stared at him in confusion, he added, "Zelenka would be a great help."

Teyla nodded. "And we believe we could also use Hermiod, as the device is mostly of Asgard design."

"You're lucky the Daedalus is still here, then," she said with a small, hopeful grin. "You go on ahead to Hermiod, and I'll grab Zelenka and meet you on board."

Not wanting to spare another moment, John spun on his heel and started for the door. Lorne reached over and pulled the door open, nodding in respect as his commander stepped onto the balcony, and again as Teyla followed after John. Lorne glanced over at Sam and gave her a tight smile, and then he, too, was gone.

Carter pushed herself off from the desk, feeling insanely guilty for sending them back to the planet at all. Of course, she could not have known that something like this would happen, but she should have figured out by now that the Pegasus was never finished dealing the Atlantis expedition surprise after horrible surprise. Though she had been glad to fill Dr. Weir's shoes at first, now she was beginning to understand just how much Elizabeth had had to deal with, and Sam wasn't sure she was up to the task. She should have listened to John when he'd said it was a bad idea, but her scientific curiosity had gotten the better of her once again, and because of it, she'd might've just killed off two of John's team. And for what – a ZPM that didn't exist, and a faulty piece of technology that they could never hope to use?

Then, she shook her head to clear it. It would do no good to sit here feeling sorry for herself, or for John and his team. Right now, she had to find Zelenka, and figure out how to get Rodney and Ronon out of this mess.

* * *

"Colonel."

John stopped in the hallway of the Daedalus and turned around, to see Colonel Caldwell striding toward him. "Colonel," he greeted in return. Though his feet itched to get moving again, he forced himself to stand still as Caldwell reached where he and Teyla stood.

"Carter filled me in on what's happening. For what it's worth, I really hope you can pull this off."

John nodded. "Thank you, Colonel. I hope so, too."

"Well, I was just on my way up to the bridge. Hermiod's waiting for you in the engine room."

"Thanks." As Caldwell walked away, John turned and muttered something under his breath. Teyla merely eyed him, then walked silently beside him through the cramped corridors.

When they reached the engine room, Doctor Lindsay Novak looked up and smiled nervously at them. "Hello, Colonel. Teyla."

"Hello," John and Teyla both replied, and Novak's smile grew less anxious. John walked over to the small, gray alien seated behind a console and said, "Hey, Hermiod."

"Hello, Colonel Sheppard. How may I assist you?"

Right to business, John thought as he grinned at the Asgard. "You remember the planet we were just on? The one with the disappearing Wraith?"

Hermiod's large head bobbed once. "I recall."

"Well, there's a device down there, buried deep underground, and we think the Vanir made it." He almost leaned his elbows on the console, but a single blink of Hermiod's black eyes discouraged him. Instead, he tipped his shoulder against the wall and continued. "Dr. McKay and Ronon have both been trapped inside this device, and we need to get them out before the crystals shut down for good."

For a moment, Hermiod continued to work on whatever he had been doing before they had arrived, and John wondered if the alien had heard him at all. Then, Hermiod looked up and blinked slowly. "I may be able to beam the device aboard the Daedalus, but I fear I will not be of much use in extracting anyone from within it."

"Why not?" John asked, his hopes slowly sinking.

"The Vanir have not been a part of our civilization for many thousands of years. Much of their technology is very different from ours, as is their language."

"We understand that," John said. "But Rodney and Ronon are in danger, and right now, you're pretty much our best hope of getting them back."

"We think our Lieutenant Foster may be able to help decipher the writing on the device," Teyla offered then. "And Dr. Zelenka is very capable with all kinds of technology."

Again, Hermiod seemed to ponder something before answering her. "Very well," he said, bowing his bald head. "Perhaps together, we will be able to solve this problem."

"Great!" John replied, smiling. He tapped his earpiece. "Colonel Carter?"

"I'm right here," Sam's voice said from across the room. Startled, John's head snapped to the side, and saw her walking side-by-side with Radek Zelenka.

"Oh," he simply said, and clicked off the comm.

"So, what's the verdict?" Sam asked, her eyes darting between Hermiod and John.

"Well, as soon as I get the okay from Caldwell, we're gonna head back to the planet on the Daedalus. Hermiod's agreed to beam the device up here, so we can try and fix whatever made it pull a Copperfield on Rodney and Ronon."

"Actually, you already have the okay." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I already talked to Caldwell, just in case."

John's eyebrows lifted, impressed. "Okay then."

"Wait, we're leaving now?" His blue eyes shifted around nervously, and he unconsciously pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "I do not think I have everything…there are things in my lab…"

"Relax, Radek," John said, clapping his hand onto the scientist's shoulder. "We can have everything you need beamed onto the ship." He looked over at Hermiod. "Right?"

"That is correct, Colonel," Hermiod responded evenly. A moment later, there was a bright flash, and when it faded away, a pile of tools and miscellaneous objects was left in the middle of the room.

"See?" John asked Radek, who merely nodded. John turned to Carter. "So, since everything seems to be in order…"

"I'm leaving." She was about to turn away when the comm. clicked in her ear. "Sorry. Hang on." She tapped the radio and said, "Carter, here."

Whoever it was spoke for only a brief moment, and Sam nodded even though they couldn't see her. Then, she said, "Okay, Major. See you in a minute."

After she had ended the conversation, she explained, "Major Lorne's team are on their way up."

"You sure that's necessary?" John asked her. "We should be able to handle it on our own."

Teyla placed her hand on his arm. "They may be needed, if there are still Wraith trapped inside the device along with Ronon and Rodney."

He considered it for a minute, then nodded. "You got a point, there."

"Okay, then," Carter said, sure that everything was ironed out as well as it could be. "Now, I'm leaving. Keep me in the loop."

"We will."

Once she had exited the ship and made it back inside the city, the Daedalus' engines roared to life, and they lifted away from the East Pier.

* * *

_TBC..._


	8. Recovered

_A/N: Hey, guys! I didn't forget about this story! I just...life got in the way. My Grandpa died at the end of last month, so...that sucked. Then there was New Years and all that fun stuff, and getting back into the rhythm of school and work and junk..._

_Anyway, here's the last chapter (or next to last, if something hits me)...tell me what you think! Love you all, and please R&R!

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_

Chapter 8

John's stomach dropped into his shoes as Caldwell informed him that they were now orbiting the planet. He gripped the metal panel in front of him, his knuckles turning white. From beside him, he heard a quiet exhale, and his eyes shifted toward the woman standing there. Teyla caught his gaze, and her lips curved in a wry smile, knowing that his feelings mimicked her own.

"I cannot wait until this is all over, and never have to return here again," she said quietly.

John nodded. "Me, either. I think I'm gonna have nightmares about this planet for months."

Teyla's grin widened at that, and she reached over to cover his hand with hers, her fingers warm and soft on his skin. John opened his mouth to speak again, but Hermiod beat him to it.

"I have located the device."

John turned around, slipping his hand out from under Teyla's. "Good. Beam it up into the hangar."

"It will be a few moments. I must calibrate the beam to reach that far underground."

John nodded and tapped his comm. "Zelenka, you in the hangar yet?"

"Yes, Colonel. Everything should be ready in five minutes."

"Okay. As soon as the device has been transported, I'll be down there."

"Understood, Colonel."

John ended the link, and impatiently watched Hermiod as he moved various crystals on the panel before him, his pace never changing. Finally, he seemed to finish whatever adjustments he was making, and his black eyes lifted to meet John's.

"I am ready," the Asgard said.

"Colonel Caldwell," John called over the comm., "We're set to beam the device up."

"Don't wait for my permission, Sheppard," Caldwell replied. "Get your men back."

"Thank you, sir."

From where he sat on the bridge, Caldwell smiled as he switched off his earpiece. "Never leave a man behind" was more than just a military principle to John – it seemed to be as much a part of him as breathing. Over the years Caldwell had known him, John had never willingly abandoned anyone, even if it meant putting himself in the line of fire. The losses they did suffer over the years seemed not to affect John, but Caldwell knew better. The lieutenant colonel just hid his feelings, and his shortcomings, well. The hardest loss for all of them had been Elizabeth Weir, when she sacrificed herself to save Sheppard's team from the Asurans. Sure, both John and Caldwell had butted heads with her more than a few times, but overall each of them greatly respected her, and Caldwell knew that John missed her more than he let on.

"Okay, Hermiod," John said with a nod, which the alien returned wordlessly.

After a brief moment, Zelenka's excited voice called into John's ear. "It is here!"

Wincing at the sudden noise, John replied, "I read you, Radek. Be down in a minute." He turned to Teyla. "You coming?"

She nodded. "Thank you, for your help," she said to Hermiod.

"You are welcome."

With a smile at Dr. Novak, she followed John down to the hangar bay.

* * *

"How's it look, Radek?" John asked as he and Teyla stepped through the bay door. A dozen feet or so inside the room, Lorne and his men were standing by, in case anything unfriendly popped out of the device. Lorne himself nodded to John, who shot his XO a tight smile in return.

Radek Zelenka looked up from his computer and pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. He blinked rapidly at the colonel, and John suppressed a smile as he noted the resemblance between the Czech and Ted Foster.

"Ah, well, the device is still running. But the beam seems to have been disabled." Zelenka added before John could voice his concern about anyone getting too close. "Hermiod gave me blueprints to similar device, but there are enough differences to make reversing the process difficult."

To explain further, he knelt down by the control crystals. There were three rows of six crystals, and each was now clipped by a thin wire that ran into Radek's computer. John bent down beside him, a frown of concentration lining his face.

"See this?" Radek asked, pointing to one of the crystals, and John nodded. "According to Asgard technology, this control crystal should be down here." He gestured to the bottom row. "And some of these others…I have no idea what they do."

"Okay, so how long until you can figure this out?"

"A few hours, minimum. But that is the problem."

John at rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginning of a massive migraine edge into his brain. "_What_ is the problem?"

Radek sighed loudly and stood up, and John followed him. "If these readings are correct, we only have one hour thirty minutes before the device's power fails."

Hearing this, Teyla stepped between the two men, her eyes full of concern. "If the power fails before we get Rodney and Ronon back, they will be lost to us forever."

Radek nodded. "But I think I may have solution."

"Let's hear it," John replied, wishing Radek would just get to the point. They should be working on the problem, not standing here talking about it.

"I may be able to use the Daedalus to supplement power to the device without overloading it, by connecting to some of the lower-voltage conduits on the ship. I will have to make a few calculations…"

"Just, go ahead," John interrupted him, his headache instantly mounting to a dull pounding against his skull. "The sooner we can get them outta there, the better."

"Yes, Colonel," Radek replied. He turned to one of his assistants, a slender brunette named Erika…John thought her last name began with a T, maybe?...and started giving her instructions for making the necessary modifications.

As John turned away from the scientists, Teyla snagged him by the arm and pulled him around to face her.

"Are you all right?" She asked, concern wearing lines into her forehead.

He nodded. "I'm fine. Just a headache, that's all."

Teyla's perceptive gaze bore into him, but she merely nodded back, knowing it was useless to try to get John Sheppard to admit that he was in pain. She did, however, comment on the dark circles under his eyes.

"Perhaps you should rest. Dr. Zelenka will not be ready for a while, and you look exhausted."

John shook his head. "No. I'm not getting a moment of sleep in until Rodney and Ronon are back."

Frustrated, she rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling. "Then perhaps you should see the doctor for some medicine…"

"I said 'no', Teyla!" He snapped at her, though it hurt his head to do so. Ignoring the sudden, worried glances of everyone around them, he added, "I need to be here!"

"John," she began, her voice low as she tried to soothe him, "If this works, then our friends will need you at your best. Please."

John crossed his arms stubbornly. Though the crease in his forehead had grown considerably, he stuck out his bottom jaw and shook his head. "I'm staying right here until they're out, and that's final."

"Very well," she replied with a sigh of resignation. She wasn't sure why she had tried to make him take care of himself in the first place, as she'd known he would react this way. Perhaps it was her instinct as a leader, or some kind of motherly impulse, but either way it didn't matter in the end. He'd decided that once again, caring for his friends was more important than his own well-being. It wasn't as if Teyla didn't respect and understand that sentiment – she had done much the same thing on many occasions – but still she worried about him.

A little while later, Radek had finished connecting the device to the ship's power conduits, and informed John and Teyla of the fact. Major Lorne had his men nearby, their weapons at the ready, and Lorne himself stood just behind and to the left of John. Radek looked around at all of them, his finger hovering over his computer's keypad.

"Go ahead, Doc," John prodded, a short nod punctuating his words.

"Here goes," Zelenka muttered, and pressed the final button. The device began to glow softly as before, the light a muted lilac color, and if circumstances had been any different, John would have thought it was beautiful. As it was, though, he decided that he'd rather not see that particular shade again in his life. As the ship's power ran through to the device, its glow started to grow into a fierce blinding light, now not purple but almost pure white. John shielded his eyes from the worst of it, but refused to look away completely, and after a few moments, he could make out six distinct outlines lying on the ground within the beam. Two of those, he knew, were his friends…but which ones?

Suddenly, a strange noise filled the air around them, and the beam blinked out almost immediately, leaving behind the six prone forms. Radek quickly cut the power to the device, though it made no difference; the crystals on the machine were a dull color, indicating that they were now dead.

John turned toward the bodies on the floor, his heart pounding in his chest. Rodney and Ronon were laying less than two feet apart, and surrounding them were four Wraith soldiers, their bony masks still in place over their faces. His teammates were motionless, and he unconsciously held his breath as he watched for the rhythmic rise and fall of their chests. At first nothing happened, and he began to see spots before his eyes, though he wasn't sure if that was due to lack of air, or from the intense headache pounding against his skull. Then, just as he was forced to exhale rather than pass out, he caught a twitch at Ronon's lips; a motion that he normally would not have been able to catch, but catch it he did, and the sight of it almost sent him to his knees in relief.

Almost as soon as Ronon began to wake, so did the other five individuals spread out around him, and Lorne's men wasted no time dispatching the Wraith with two shots to each chest. No sense in keeping them around, John thought, just as the Wraith closest to him grabbed his ankle with its feeding hand. Unable to jump back in surprise without toppling to the floor, John immediately reached for his sidearm, as the Wraith's feeding organ tried to find purchase on the skin hidden under his pants. Just when John's hand slipped around the grip of his gun, two more shots rang throughout the makeshift lab, and the Wraith's fell limply away from his leg. John looked up in surprise to see Evan striding toward him, his P90 already pointed safely at the ground.

"Thanks, Major," John breathed out, nudging the Wraith's body with his boot just to make sure he was really dead.

"No problem, Colonel," Evan replied grimly as Rodney began to sit up slowly behind him. The physicist clutched at his head, his eyes screwed tight against what he would probably tout as the "worst headache ever known to man", as Jennifer Keller crouched beside him to check him over. Ronon opted to remain lying where he was, one arm draped over his eyes to block out the hangar's lights. Teyla crossed the short distance between them and knelt down, placing her hand gently on the Satedan's large shoulder.

"Ronon? How are you feeling?" She asked quietly.

His arm shifted slightly, just enough for one eye to peek out from underneath. That dark brown iris stared into both of Teyla's, and he grumbled, "Like I got hit by a hundred Wraith stunners."

Teyla couldn't hide her amused smile, so she merely patted his arm and sat back on her heels. "I can imagine."

"Where are we?"

"On board the Daedalus."

Ronon huffed and turned his head to the side. He was about to pull his arm back over his face, when he saw the dead Wraith beside him, and he instinctively jerked further away from it.

"It is alright," Teyla assured him then, "it is dead."

"You sure?" He hissed as he searched his hip for his energy weapon.

"We're sure, Buddy," John said, coming to stand over him. "Lorne's team took care of them."

"I really want to get you both down to the infirmary," Jennifer interjected, in a tone that suggested it was more of a demand than a request. Then, she looked pointedly at John and added, "You, too, Colonel."

He frowned at her. "Me? What for?"

"For that headache of yours, that's what."

"It's just a headache. Get 'em all the time."

Frustrated, she sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "Just…stop arguing and come on."

Sensing that he would lose this particular argument, he simply shrugged and then turned back to Ronon, who had since sat up and was now eying the four Wraith bodies around him. John extended his hand to Ronon, who took it and let the colonel pull him to his feet. When Ronon was standing steadily on his own, John looked behind him to see if Rodney also needed help, but Teyla was already assisting him. Surprisingly, Rodney was actually allowing her to guide him toward the hangar bay doors without comment, her right arm secured across his back.

As John passed Evan, he gave his XO a thankful nod, and it was returned by a grin and a light clap on his shoulder. Then, John remembered something else, and stopped at the threshold. Turning around, he saw Zelenka still standing near the now-inactive device, silently watching the cleanup around him.

"Hey, Radek," John called. The scientist immediately turned his attention to the colonel. "Thanks."

Radek's eyes widened in surprise, and he blinked a few times, as if to make sure he'd heard correctly. Then, he stammered out, "Oh, uh, you're welcome, Colonel."

As he watched John leave the hangar, Radek couldn't hide the pleased smile that overtook him. He was so used to Rodney getting all the credit for saving the day; it was nice to finally have the recognition for once.

Underneath that simple reason, however, he was truly glad that the team was back together, and they were all on their way home.

* * *

**The End**...maybe. LOL


End file.
